Huang J, Yang YJ, Lv Y, Xu X, Yao CF. Association of depression, anxiety, and insomnia in hypertensive disorders in pregnant women. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(2): 112174 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i2.112174]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Chang-Fang Yao, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, No. 188 Juqian Road, Tianning District, Changzhou 213000, Jiangsu Province, China. chfyao@126.com
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Psychology
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Retrospective Study
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Feb 19, 2026 (publication date) through Feb 2, 2026
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Publication Name
World Journal of Psychiatry
ISSN
2220-3206
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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Huang J, Yang YJ, Lv Y, Xu X, Yao CF. Association of depression, anxiety, and insomnia in hypertensive disorders in pregnant women. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(2): 112174 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i2.112174]
World J Psychiatry. Feb 19, 2026; 16(2): 112174 Published online Feb 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i2.112174
Association of depression, anxiety, and insomnia in hypertensive disorders in pregnant women
Jun Huang, Yan-Jun Yang, Yan Lv, Xian Xu, Chang-Fang Yao
Jun Huang, Yan-Jun Yang, Yan Lv, Xian Xu, Chang-Fang Yao, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Changzhou 213000, Jiangsu Province, China
Author contributions: Huang J contributed to the manuscript writing, data collection and analysis; Huang J, Yang YJ, Lv Y and Xu X collected data; Huang J and Yao CF were involved in the conceptualization and supervision of this manuscript; all authors approved the final manuscript.
Supported by Changzhou Health Commission Youth Science and Technology Projects, No. QN202218.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Ethic Committee of Soochow University.
Informed consent statement: Patients were not required to give informed consent to the study because the analysis used anonymous clinical data that were obtained after each patient agreed to treatment by written consent.
Conflict-of-interest statement: We have no financial relationships to disclose.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Chang-Fang Yao, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, No. 188 Juqian Road, Tianning District, Changzhou 213000, Jiangsu Province, China. chfyao@126.com
Received: September 23, 2025 Revised: November 7, 2025 Accepted: December 2, 2025 Published online: February 19, 2026 Processing time: 128 Days and 23.1 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Insomnia in patients with hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDP) appears closely associated with depression and anxiety, though this relationship requires further validation.
AIM
To examine the inter-relationships among depression, anxiety, and insomnia in women with HDP.
METHODS
A total of 122 HDP cases were enrolled from January 2021 to January 2025. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used to evaluate depressive symptoms, while the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) assessed anxiety. Sleep duration, sleep efficiency, and insomnia were measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Spearman’s r determined inter-scale correlations. Determinants influencing depression and anxiety were identified via univariate and multivariate analyses.
RESULTS
Among the 122 women with HDP, 20.49% exhibited depression and 24.59% had anxiety. The mean PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores were 4.00 (3.00, 4.00) and 4.00 (3.00, 4.25), respectively. As pregnancy progressed, participants showed reduced sleep duration and efficiency, higher PSQI total scores, and an increased proportion of poor sleepers. Across all gestational stages, PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores were positively correlated with PSQI results. Depression and anxiety were independently associated with a prior HDP history, limited spousal support, PSQI > 5, and monthly income < 4000 yuan, as confirmed using both regression models.
CONCLUSION
Depression and anxiety in HDP are positively and strongly to insomnia. Women with HDP face higher risk of depression and anxiety if they have a history of HDP, limited spousal support, PSQI > 5, or monthly income < 4000 yuan.
Core Tip: Few studies have examined the correlation between depression, anxiety, and insomnia in hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDP). In this study, 122 HDP cases were analyzed for these variables. Depression and anxiety were closely associated with insomnia. Previous HDP history, limited spousal support, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index > 5, and monthly income < 4000 yuan elevated depression and anxiety risks in HDP.
