Prevalence of Suicidal Ideation among Pregnant Women in Gran Canaria
María del Amor Santana-González,
María Granada Vázquez-Núñez,
Mar Miranda-Sánchez,
Héctor González-de la Torre,
Jesús María González-Martín,
Julia Jeppesen-Gutiérrez,
Iraya Monagas-Agrelo
Affiliations
María del Amor Santana-González
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital Complex Insular Materno-Infantil of Gran Canaria, Canary Health Service, Avda Marítima del Sur S/N, CP 35016 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
María Granada Vázquez-Núñez
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital Complex Insular Materno-Infantil of Gran Canaria, Canary Health Service, Avda Marítima del Sur S/N, CP 35016 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Mar Miranda-Sánchez
Labour Ward Unit., General Hospital of Fuerteventura Virgen de la Peña-Canary Health Service, Carretera del Aeropuerto, Km 1, CP 35600 Puerto del Rosario, Spain
Héctor González-de la Torre
Department of Nursing, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Edificio Ciencias de la Salud, C/Blas Cabrera Felipe S/N, CP 35016 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Jesús María González-Martín
Research Support Unit of University Hospital Complex Insular Materno-Infantil of Gran Canaria, Canary Health Service, Avda Marítima del Sur S/N, CP 35016 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Julia Jeppesen-Gutiérrez
Multiprofessional Teaching Unit of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the University Hospital Complex Insular Materno-Infantil of Gran Canaria, Canary Health Service, Avda Marítima del Sur S/N, CP 35016 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Iraya Monagas-Agrelo
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital Complex Insular Materno-Infantil of Gran Canaria, Canary Health Service, Avda Marítima del Sur S/N, CP 35016 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Suicidal ideation represents a significant predictor of completed suicide. Recent research indicates that it is the leading cause of maternal mortality during pregnancy in industrialized countries, as well as in the 12 months following childbirth, with prevalence rates among pregnant women ranging from 3% to 33%. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of suicidal ideation among pregnant women in Gran Canaria. A cross-sectional, descriptive, and observational study was conducted at the University Hospital Complex Insular Materno-Infantil of Gran Canaria (CHUIMI). Consecutive non-probabilistic sampling was employed among pregnant women in their 20th to 22nd week of pregnancy. Participants completed the PHQ-9 questionnaire, the Paykel Scale, and a sociodemographic questionnaire to assess associated risk factors. A total of 9.57% of pregnant women reported experiencing some level of suicidal ideation. Factors that increased the risk of suicidal ideation included employment status (p-value = 0.031), prior abortions/miscarriages (p-value p-value = 0.005), and having living children (p-value = 0.018). This study suggests that the prevalence of suicidal ideation among pregnant women in Gran Canaria may be higher than previously reported in the literature. Therefore, early identification of suicidal ideation is crucial for timely intervention.
