ARE LIFETIME SELF-REPORTED HEALTH (SRH), SLEEP DIFFICULTIES, AND NEGATIVE AFFECT CORRELATES OF SUICIDAL IDEATION IN PREGNANCY AND POSTPARTUM?

Background Suicidality has a multifactorial determination and is clinically under-diagnosed. Self-reported poor health, negative affect and sleep difficulties are associated with psychological distress, including suicidality. Aim To analyze the association between lifetime SRH, sleep difficulties, negative affect (NA) and suicidal ideation in pregnancy (T0) and post-partum (T1) and if they are predictors of suicidal ideation. Methods 397 pregnant women completed the Portuguese version of POMS, PDSS and a set of items evaluating SRH, and sleep difficulties in the last trimester of pregnancy an three months of post-partum. Findings In pregnancy, suicidal ideation was significantly associated with lifetime SRH (p  Conclusion Difficulties of initiating sleep should be considered an indicator of suicidal ideation during the perinatal period. However NA might explain this association.