Risk factors associated with antenatal mental disorder in pregnant women with gestational diabetes: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND

Mental disorders are more common among women with gestational diabetes in pregnancy than in normal pregnancies. Gaps remain in our understanding of risk factors associated with mental disorders in pregnancies with gestational diabetes.

OBJECTIVES

This review aims to identify the relevant risk factors for mental disorders in pregnancies with gestational diabetes. This may further inform risk stratification strategies for early identification and mental health support in pregnant women with gestational diabetes and potentially facilitate early preventative or personalized health interventions.

SEARCH STRATEGY: PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE, CNKI, and SinoMed were searched for cross-sectional and cohort studies following the PRISMA flowchart from inception to May 9, 2026.

SELECTION CRITERIA: Original studies reporting the risk factors of antenatal mental disorder in pregnant women with gestational diabetes were deemed eligible for inclusion.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data were summarized using narrative synthesis and descriptive statistics as appropriate.

MAIN

RESULTS

Of the 2926 studies retrieved, 17 studies were included in this review. Twenty-seven risk factors were associated with depression, anxiety, or other negative emotions. These risk factors were further categorized into four domains based on an adapted bio-psychosocial medicine model, with domain-specific distributions: seven biological factors, six hyperglycemia-specific factors, two psychological factors, and 12 social factors. The quality of the 17 included studies, assessed via the Agency for Healthcare Research Quality for cross-section study or the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for cohort studies, ranged from 5 to 11 points.

CONCLUSION

Understanding the risk factors could assist clinicians in the early identification of those prone to developing adverse mental conditions related to gestational diabetes during pregnancy, allowing them to integrate the adapted bio-psychosocial medicine model to provide personalized interventions.

REGISTRATION: PROSPERO (CRD42024575399), August 1, 2024.