Open AccessThe Relationship Between a Lifetime History of Sexual Victimization and Perinatal Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Author(s) -
Brooke N. Lombardi,
Todd M. Jensen,
Anna Parisi,
Melissa Jenkins,
Sarah E. Bledsoe
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
trauma, violence and abuse
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.166
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1552-8324
pISSN - 1524-8380
DOI - 10.1177/15248380211021611
Subject(s) - meta analysis , odds ratio , demography , depression (economics) , confidence interval , ethnic group , psychology , clinical psychology , sample size determination , odds , psychological intervention , multilevel model , medicine , logistic regression , psychiatry , statistics , mathematics , pathology , sociology , anthropology , economics , macroeconomics
Background: The association between a lifetime history of sexual victimization and the well-being of women during the perinatal period has received increasing attention. However, research investigating this relationship has yet to be systematically reviewed or quantitatively synthesized.Aim: This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to calculate the pooled effect size estimate of the statistical association between a lifetime history of sexual victimization and perinatal depression (PND).Method: Four bibliographic databases were systematically searched, and reference harvesting was conducted to identify peer-reviewed articles that empirically examined associations between a lifetime history of sexual victimization and PND. A random effects model was used to ascertain an overall pooled effect size estimate in the form of an odds ratio and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Subgroup analyses were also conducted to assess whether particular study features and sample characteristic (e.g., race and ethnicity) influenced the magnitude of effect size estimates.Results: This review included 36 studies, with 45 effect size estimates available for meta-analysis. Women with a lifetime history of sexual victimization had 51% greater odds of experiencing PND relative to women with no history of sexual victimization ( OR = 1.51, 95% CI [1.35, 1.67]). Effect size estimates varied considerably according to the PND instrument used in each study and the racial/ethnic composition of each sample.Conclusion: Findings provide compelling evidence for an association between a lifetime history of sexual victimization and PND. Future research should focus on screening practices and interventions that identify and support survivors of sexual victimization perinatally.