A new study has discovered the rate of drinking among pregnant women is linked to feelings of anxiety and depression.
The researchers, from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in Oslo, Norway, used figures from 66,111 pregnant women and their partners. Alcohol use at 17 and 30 weeks of gestation was measured. Sixteen percent of women had "light" alcohol use in the first trimester and ten per cent in the second trimester. Binge drinking occurred in 12% of women during their first trimester and 0.5% in the second trimester.
Light alcohol use was defined as 0.5 to 2 units, one to four times a month, whereas binge drinking was defined as an intake of five alcohol units or more on a single occasion.
Anxiety and depression symptoms, measured on a test for "negative affectivity," were clearly linked to a higher chance of light alcohol intake in the first and second trimester. These symptoms were even more strongly linked to binge drinking. Women who were more anxious and/or depressed were much more likely to drink in the second trimester. Results are published in the journal Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica today (16 October).
Team leader Dr Kim Stene-Larsen said: "Our findings clearly show a link between a mother’s negative emotions, such as depression and anxiety, and light alcohol use and binge drinking during pregnancy. Further study is needed to understand why women continue to drink alcohol while pregnant despite health warnings."
Stene-Larsen, K. et al. Impact of Maternal Negative Affectivity on Light Alcohol Use and Binge drinking during Pregnancy. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica 16 October 2013; doi: 10.1111/aogs.12259
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