Increased utilisation of primary healthcare in persons exposed to severe stress in prenatal life: a national population-based study in Denmark.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Recent studies have suggested that stress in a pregnant mother may affect the future health of the unborn child negatively. An excellent proxy for health problems is the use of healthcare resources. Using nationwide data, we examined whether persons born to mothers who lost a close relative during pregnancy have more contacts to general practice.

Design

Population-based cohort study.

Setting

Denmark.

Participants

We included all children born in Denmark from 1973 to 2002 (N=2 032 528). Exposure of prenatal stress was defined as maternal bereavement by the death of a close relative during the antenatal period. The outcome of interest was contact with general practice between 2003 and 2009 when the participants were between 1 and 35 years of age. Poisso

SUBMITTER: Li J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4289719 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature