PERINATAL COMPLICATIONS IN BIRTHS TO LOW SOCIOECONOMIC-STATUS SCHIZOPHRENIC AND DEPRESSED WOMEN

Pregnancy and birth complications in births to 57 schizophrenic, 28 depressed, and 31 well women were studied. The sample was of low socioeconomic status and predominantly African-American. The study extended earlier work on the perinatal status of infants born to schizophrenic women by including measures of severity of maternal disturbance, mother's age, IQ, and premorbid social competence, and family composition. The results show that maternal competence and the mother's diagnosis of schizophrenia were significant variables in determining the likelihood of less adequate prenatal care and more complicated births. The results indicate the importance of an assessment not only of a disturbed woman's diagnosis but also of her personal background and social competence in determining the likelihood of obstetrical complications.