Abstract
Objective Substance use disorders often coexist with depression. The objective of this study
was to establish whether pregnant women who report depressive symptomatology were
more likely to report use of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana during pregnancy.
Study Design This was a secondary analysis of prospectively collected data from the Maternal-Fetal
Medicine Units Network Preterm Prediction Study. Self-reported history of alcohol,
tobacco, and marijuana use was compared between pregnant women with and without depressive
symptomatology with adjustment for demographic factors.
Results After adjustment for demographic factors, women with depressive symptomatology were
more likely to report: any alcohol use (odds ratio [OR]: 1.4, 95% confidence interval
[CI]: 1.1–1.8), >1 drink per week (OR: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.0–1.8), and >1 drink per day
(OR: 2.2, 95% CI: 1.5–3.4). Women with depressive symptomatology were also more likely
to report use of marijuana (OR: 1.8, 95% CI: 1.2–2.6) and cigarettes (OR: 1.4, 95%
CI: 1.1–1.7).
Conclusion Depressive symptomatology was associated with an increase in self-reported the use
of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana during pregnancy. These data reveal the importance
of targeted screening of pregnant women with depressive symptomatology for substance
use.
Keywords
pregnancy - substance use - depression - alcohol - marijuana - tobacco
