Autistic People’s Perinatal Experiences I: A Survey of Pregnancy Experiences

Hampton, Sarah; Allison, Carrie; Baron‐Cohen, Simon; Holt, Rosemary

doi:10.1007/s10803-022-05754-1

Cited by 8 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Database searching identified 5812 records, 21 of which were fully screened against the selection criteria. Fifteen papers were identified for inclusion which represented thirteen individual studies as two studies were each reported across two papers (Hampton et al (2022b) and Hampton et al (2023a) were part of the same study as Hampton et al (2023b) and Hampton et al (2022c)). The PRISMA flow diagram in Supplementary Material 2 illustrates this process.…”

Section: Studies Identifiedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Across the thirteen studies, there were 1060 autistic participants and 551 non-autistic participants, ranging from 1 (Rogers et al, 2017) to 24 autistic participants in the qualitative studies and from 28 (Hampton et al, 2022a) to 417 (Hampton et al, 2022b) autistic participants in the quantitative studies.…”

Section: Studies Identifiedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Two were marked as moderate quality (Rogers et al, 2017;Wilson and Andrassy, 2022): in both papers, it was not possible to tell whether the findings were adequately derived from the data. Four of the quantitative descriptive papers were marked as being of moderate quality as the samples were considered by the authors, not representative (Hampton et al, 2022a(Hampton et al, , 2022b(Hampton et al, , 2023aPohl et al, 2020). One quantitative descriptive paper was marked as low quality (Lum et al, 2014) as the sample size was insufficient for testing internal consistency reliability because it was a pilot study rather than a full study.…”

Section: Quality Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The remaining eight studies looked at the perinatal period as a whole including pregnancy, childbirth, the postnatal period, and associated healthcare experiences (Hampton et al, 2022a, b, c;Litchman et al, 2019;Pohl et al, 2020;Rogers et al, 2017). Pregnancy was only reported in two papers (Hampton et al, 2022b(Hampton et al, , 2022c.…”

Section: Study Focusmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Autistic Women’s Experiences of the Perinatal Period: A Systematic Mixed Methods Review

Westgate,

Sewell,

Caramaschi

et al. 2024

Rev J Autism Dev Disord

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The perinatal period has challenges for autistic women. This review synthesises evidence on the experiences of autistic women during the perinatal period. This mixed methods evidence synthesis followed JBI guidance for mixed methods systematic reviews. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool assessed study quality. Thematic analysis was used to synthesise findings. Thirteen studies were included. Themes identified included sensory demands of the perinatal period are frequently overwhelming; experiencing healthcare as an autistic person is challenging; parenting as an autistic mother has difficulties but also rewards; predictability and control are important in labour and birth. Individualised care with reasonable adjustments can make a difference to the perinatal experiences of autistic women. Despite challenges, autistic women also have many strengths as mothers.

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Section: Studies Identifiedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Studies Identifiedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Quality Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Focusmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Autistic Women’s Experiences of the Perinatal Period: A Systematic Mixed Methods Review

Westgate,

Sewell,

Caramaschi

et al. 2024

Rev J Autism Dev Disord

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“…Furthermore, several recent studies have reported that mothers with a diagnosis of autism are more likely than non-autistic mothers to report experiencing prenatal/ postnatal depression and anxiety [9][10][11]. There is also evidence that mothers with an autism diagnosis have higher rates of self-reported post-partum depression and anxiety symptomatology [12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationships among autistic traits, depression, anxiety, and maternal–infant bonding in postpartum women

et al. 2023

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Background Although several studies have found significant relationships between autistic traits and depression/anxiety, the relationships between autistic traits and postpartum depression/anxiety remain unclear. Moreover, few studies have examined the relationships between autistic traits and mother–infant bonding while considering depression or anxiety. Methods This study used a cross-sectional data analysis design. Participants were 2692 women who completed the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale (MIBS) at 1 month postpartum. We performed path analysis that included parity, the five AQ subscales (social skills, attention switching, attention to detail, communication, and imagination), both HADS subscales (anxiety and depression), and the two MIBS subscales (lack of affection and anger and rejection). Results Our path analysis revealed that higher scores for social skills, attention switching, communication, and imagination were associated with higher scores for depression. Higher scores for social skills, attention switching, attention to detail, and communication were associated with higher scores for anxiety. Moreover, difficulties in social skills and imagination were associated with failure of maternal–infant bonding. However, more attention to detail was associated with better maternal–infant bonding. Conclusions This study suggests that maternal autistic traits are related to anxiety and depression to a certain degree, but only slightly related to maternal–infant bonding at 1 month postpartum. To improve autistic women’s quality of life and that of their newborns, perinatal mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and maternal–fetal bonding difficulties should be appropriately addressed.

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Perinatal and Postpartum Health Among People With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Shea,

Sadowsky,

Tao

et al. 2024

JAMA Netw Open

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ImportanceSmall, geographically limited studies report that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) have increased risk for serious pregnancy-related and birth-related challenges, including preeclampsia, preterm birth, and increased anxiety and depression, than their peers. United States–based population-level data among people with IDD are lacking.ObjectivesTo identify perinatal and postpartum outcomes among a national, longitudinal sample of people with IDD enrolled in public health insurance, compare subgroups of people with IDD, and compare outcomes among people with IDD with those of peers without IDD.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis retrospective cohort study used national Medicaid claims from January 1, 2008, to December 31, 2019, for 55 440 birthing people with IDD and a random sample of 438 557 birthing people without IDD. Medicaid funds almost half of all births and is the largest behavioral health insurer in the US, covering a robust array of services for people with IDD. Statistical analysis was performed from July 2023 to June 2024.ExposurePeople who had a documented birth in Medicaid during the study years.Main Outcome and MeasuresPerinatal outcomes were compared across groups using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. The probability of postpartum anxiety and depression was estimated using Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards regression.ResultsThe study sample included 55 440 birthing people with IDD (including 41 854 with intellectual disabilities [ID] and 13 586 with autism; mean [SD] age at first delivery, 24.9 [6.7] years) and a random sample of 438 557 birthing people without IDD (mean [SD] age at first delivery, 26.4 [6.3] years). People with IDD were younger at first observed delivery, had a lower prevalence of live births (66.6% vs 76.7%), and higher rates of obstetric conditions (gestational diabetes, 10.3% vs 9.9%; gestational hypertension, 8.7% vs 6.1%; preeclampsia, 6.1% vs 4.4%) and co-occurring physical conditions (heart failure, 1.4% vs 0.4%; hyperlipidemia, 5.3% vs 1.7%; ischemic heart disease, 1.5% vs 0.4%; obesity, 16.3% vs 7.4%) and mental health conditions (anxiety disorders, 27.9% vs 6.5%; depressive disorders, 32.1% vs 7.5%; posttraumatic stress disorder, 9.5% vs 1.2%) than people without IDD. The probability of postpartum anxiety (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR], 3.2 [95% CI, 2.9-3.4]) and postpartum depression (AHR, 2.4 [95% CI, 2.3-2.6]) was significantly higher among autistic people compared with people with ID only and people without IDD.Conclusions and RelevanceIn this retrospective cohort study, people with IDD had a younger mean age at first delivery, had lower prevalence of live births, and had poor obstetric, mental health, and medical outcomes compared with people without IDD, pointing toward a need for clinician training and timely delivery of maternal health care. Results highlight needed reproductive health education, increasing clinician knowledge, and expanding Medicaid to ensure access to care for people with IDD.

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Autistic People’s Perinatal Experiences I: A Survey of Pregnancy Experiences

Cited by 8 publications

References 30 publications

Autistic Women’s Experiences of the Perinatal Period: A Systematic Mixed Methods Review

Autistic Women’s Experiences of the Perinatal Period: A Systematic Mixed Methods Review

Relationships among autistic traits, depression, anxiety, and maternal–infant bonding in postpartum women

Perinatal and Postpartum Health Among People With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

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