Pre-conception self-harm, maternal mental health and mother-infant bonding problems: A 20-year prospective cohort study

R Borschmann; E Molyneaux; E Spry; P Moran; LM Howard; JA Macdonald; SJ Brown; M Moreno-Betancur; CA Olsson; GC Patton

Journal article

Pre-conception self-harm, maternal mental health and mother-infant bonding problems: A 20-year prospective cohort study

R Borschmann, E Molyneaux, E Spry, P Moran, LM Howard, JA Macdonald, SJ Brown, M Moreno-Betancur, CA Olsson, GC Patton

Psychological Medicine | CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS | Published : 2019

DOI: 10.1017/S0033291718003689

Abstract

Background Self-harm in young people is associated with later problems in social and emotional development. However, it is unknown whether self-harm in young women continues to be a marker of vulnerability on becoming a parent. This study prospectively describes the associations between pre-conception self-harm, maternal depressive symptoms and mother-infant bonding problems.Methods The Victorian Intergenerational Health Cohort Study (VIHCS) is a follow-up to the Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study (VAHCS) in Australia. Socio-demographic and health variables were assessed at 10 time-points (waves) from ages 14 to 35, including self-reported self-harm at waves 3-9. VIHCS enrolment began ..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Rohan Borschmann Author

Stephanie Brown Author

Margarita Moreno-Betancur Author

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Grants

Awarded by Financial Markets Foundation for Children

Funding Acknowledgements

The Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study (VAHCS) and the Victorian Intergenerational Health Cohort Study (VIHCS) have both been supported by a series of project grants from Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC; APP1008273, APP1063091, APP437015 and APP1019887 to GP) and an NHMRC Early Career Fellowship (APP1104644 to RB); the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth); Australian Rotary Health; Colonial Foundation; Perpetual Trustees; Financial Markets Foundation for Children (Australia); Royal Children's Hospital Foundation; Murdoch Children's Research Institute; Australian Postgraduate Association to ES and Australian Research Council Award (DP130101459 to CO). The Murdoch Children's Research Institute is supported by the Victorian Government's Operational Infrastructure Program. PM is supported by NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Bristol. LMH and EM are funded through a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Professorship in maternal mental health to LMH (NIHR-RP-R3-12-S011). LMH is also affiliated with the NIHR Mental Health Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London. SB is supported by a NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship (APP1103976). We thank the families who participated in VAHCS and VIHCS, the study research team involved in data collection and management, and Prof. Anthony Mann and Prof. Sir Michael Rutter for providing valuable advice on study design. This study represents independent research part funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London, UK. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the National Institute for Health Research or the Department of Health.