Adult separation anxiety in pregnancy: how common is it?

Valsamma Eapen,^1,2 Derrick M Silove,^1,3 Deborah Johnston,^1,2 Alex Apler,^1,2 Susan Rees<sup>1,3

1</sup>School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, ²Infant Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, Academic Unit of Child Psychiatry, ³Center for Population Mental Health Research, Psychiatry Research and Teaching Unit, South West Sydney Local Health District, Liverpool, NSW, Australia

Abstract: The present study, the first to examine adult separation anxiety (ASA) in the context of pregnancy, found that ASA is a common yet unrecognized condition. Women attending an antenatal clinic were evaluated for the presence of ASA. A quarter of the women reached an established symptom threshold for ASA, with significantly more primigravida women (P = 0.003) identified as having the problem. There were no significant differences in the sociodemographic characteristics between those with and without ASA. Around one-third acknowledged that ASA was causing significant impairment in day-to-day functioning, suggesting the clinical importance of the pattern. Further research is indicated to explore this clinical entity and its impact on maternal and infant psychosocial wellbeing.

Keywords: separation anxiety, perinatal mental health, prevalence, sociodemographic factors.