Grattan Rebecca E, London Sophie, Hammond Matthew D
School of Psychological Sciences, Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.
Front Psychiatry. 2025 Sep 2;16:1586471. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1586471. eCollection 2025.
Psychotic-like experiences (subclinical psychosis symptoms) predict the development of severe mental distress in the general population and can also be an experience of clinical concern. Little attention has been paid to psychotic-like experiences occurring for women during the postpartum period, despite it being a time of elevated mental distress. In particular, it is unknown how these symptoms present across the postpartum period and what risk factors are associated with them.
The present study examined psychotic-like experiences across two time points, 4 weeks apart, during the first 6 months postpartum. The prevalence of psychotic-like experiences and the relative change over time were examined, including common risk factors for psychotic-like experiences outside the postpartum period. The included risk factors were history of childhood trauma, birth trauma, depression, anxiety, financial stress, postpartum stress, and sleep difficulties. Social support was also included as a possible protective factor.
Psychotic-like experiences were generally prevalent and persistent over time in the postpartum period and were associated with distress. Anxiety symptoms, financial stress, and history of childhood trauma were associated with psychotic-like experiences cross-sectionally. There was no evidence that any commonly understood risk factors accounted for the change in psychotic-like experiences over 4 weeks.
These findings indicate that stress and anxiety may contribute to the development of postpartum psychotic-like experiences, but it is unclear what factors may lead to worsening symptoms over time.
类精神病体验（亚临床精神病症状）可预测普通人群中严重精神困扰的发展，也可能是临床关注的一种体验。尽管产后时期是精神困扰加剧的时期，但对于产后女性出现的类精神病体验却很少受到关注。特别是，尚不清楚这些症状在产后时期如何表现，以及与之相关的风险因素有哪些。
本研究在产后的前6个月内，对相隔4周的两个时间点的类精神病体验进行了检查。研究了类精神病体验的患病率及其随时间的相对变化，包括产后时期以外的类精神病体验的常见风险因素。纳入的风险因素包括童年创伤史、分娩创伤、抑郁、焦虑、经济压力、产后压力和睡眠困难。社会支持也作为一种可能的保护因素纳入研究。
类精神病体验在产后时期总体上较为普遍且随时间持续存在，并与困扰相关。焦虑症状、经济压力和童年创伤史与类精神病体验存在横断面关联。没有证据表明任何常见的风险因素能解释类精神病体验在4周内的变化。
这些发现表明，压力和焦虑可能导致产后类精神病体验的发生，但尚不清楚哪些因素可能导致症状随时间恶化。
