The present study examines the relation between depression and trait anxiety symptoms and women’s utterances during a routine ultrasound... Show moreThe present study examines the relation between depression and trait anxiety symptoms and women’s utterances during a routine ultrasound procedure in the second trimester of pregnancy. Participants included a diverse group of 70 women seeking prenatal care at an academic medical center in the Midwestern United States. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) depression subscale and the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), trait form were used to assess symptoms of depression and trait anxiety, respectively. Audio and video of participants’ faces during the ultrasound examination were used to assess the content, sentiment, and number of utterances. Results of regression analyses indicated that higher levels of depression symptoms were significantly related to a lower proportion of fetus-related utterances to total utterances. Higher levels of depression symptoms and trait anxiety were significantly related to a lower proportion of positive fetus-related utterances to total fetus-related utterances, after controlling for gestational age. Higher levels of depression symptoms were significantly related to a higher proportion of negative-fetus-related utterances to total fetus-related utterances, after controlling for education. These findings suggest that pregnant women who are experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety may exhibit certain types and patterns of utterances during routine prenatal sonogram procedures. Thus, observation of pregnant women’s naturalistic speech may provide helpful supplemental information to the traditional self-report measure in screening for symptoms of depression and anxiety. Show less
