Association Between Mental Illness and Risk of Severe Maternal Morbidity in Pregnant Veterans.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Mental illness is a leading cause of maternal mortality, yet population-level research is hindered by limited antenatal mental health data. The Veterans Health Administration, which offers universal outpatient mental health and substance use screening and resources, provides a unique opportunity to assess the effects of antenatal mental illness on severe maternal morbidity (SMM; a composite of life-threatening events around the time of childbirth).

Methods

We conducted a population-level retrospective cohort study of births reimbursed by the Veterans Health Administration in fiscal years 2010-2020. The exposure was antenatal mental illness, identified by International Classification of Disease, Ninth or Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification codes for depression, an

SUBMITTER: Panelli DM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12614346 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature