Program

Nurse-Midwifery M.S.

Number of Pages

42

Year Approved

2026

First Advisor

Rebecca Smith

Second Reader

Paige Hardy

Abstract

Introduction: This review explores the link between gestational diabetes (GDM) and psychological outcomes. GDM affects 8–10% of pregnancies and is typically diagnosed at 24–28 weeks. This burden leads to anxiety, depression, and fear. Postpartum concerns often persist for mother and infant.

Methods: Whittemore and Knafl’s (2005) method was used to synthesize data. The research databases included CINAHL and PubMed. Covidence supported screening and PRISMA diagram development. Key search terms included “anxiety and GDM,” “depression and GDM,” “GDM and postpartum depression,” “gestational diabetes,” and “pregnancy.” Inclusion criteria included full-text articles published after 2010, original studies, patients undergoing diabetic treatment (medication and/or lifestyle modification), and articles from international sources. Exclusion criteria included meta-analyses, reviews, women with pre-existing type 1 or type 2 diabetes, psychiatric disorders, patients taking antidepressant medications before pregnancy, and articles not published in English.

Results: A total of 21 quantitative studies published between 2019 and 2025 were examined to identify correlations between GDM and maternal mental health. Women with GDM show higher depressive symptoms. Cohort studies report higher perinatal mental illness risk after GDM diagnosis.

Discussion: Women with GDM have higher depression and anxiety. Diagnosis is a major stressor. Although findings were generally consistent, variations in study designs contributed to the observed inconsistencies.

Degree Name

M.S. Nurse-Midwifery

Document Type

Masterʼs thesis

Terms of Use and License Information

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

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