PMHQ is the name of an additional questionnaire on mental health during and after pregnancy, among adult, female Lifelines participants. Implementation of this questionnaire in Lifelines was initiated by the department of psychiatry of the University Medical Center Groningen.

The collected PMHQ data is currently under embargo. Please contact the Lifelines data managers at data@lifelines.nl for more information.

Invitations were sent in October 2025. Non-responders received a personal reminder after 2 weeks. Invited participants could fill in the questionnaire until December 1st 2025.

~65,000 women (18+) were invited for PMHQ. The response rate was 27% (n=~17,900).

The PMHQ questionnaire consisted of a combination of the following validated screening tools and questionnaires, of which some were already included in Lifelines. All were adjusted to inquire about women’s mental health in the peripartum period (during pregnancy or in the 12 months after pregnancy).

If women had multiple pregnancies, we asked them to report on the pregnancy during which they experienced the most severe symptoms of depression and anxiety.

• The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)
• The ROAQ add-on questionnaire: ROAQ items were included regarding the onset of pregnancy, duration, complications, smoking and alcohol use during pregnancy
• The Long-term Difficulties Inventory (LDI)
• The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI): MINI questionnaire items for major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) were included within the context of the peripartum onset.
• The Psychosis Screening Questionnaire (PSQ)
• Family history of peripartum depression and anxiety in first degree relatives, adapted from the family history items in the LIDAS.