Pregnancy in women suffering from psychotic disorders is becoming more common. However, this psychiatric disorder is linked to the highest risk of early mother and child separation. The aim of this study was to evaluate risk factors associated with these separations. In an observational, naturalist, and multicentric study, 320 women suffering from a psychotic disorder and jointly hospitalized with their child in one of the sixteen mother-baby units (MBUs) in France and Belgium between 2001 and 2010 were assessed for risk factors associated with mother-child separation. Eighty-seven (27.2%) mothers were separated from their infant at discharge from MBUs. Early separation was linked to the placement of the mother herself in an institution in childhood (OR 4.44; CI 95% 1.12-18.69), to the mother being single (OR 3.84; CI 95% 1.38-11.44), to early hospitalization of the baby in neonatology (OR 2.88; CI 95% 1.27-6.59), and to maternal psychiatric decompensation during pregnancy (OR 2.60; CI 95% 1.15-6.20), independently from maternal neglectful behaviors. Low family/social support showed a trend towards association with separation (OR 2.17; CI 95% 0.91-5.42). This study shows that separation is mostly linked to mothers' environmental and interactive past and current history, to the child's health, and to maternal mental health decompensation. The identification of these factors is essential to implement antenatal prevention and social programs for these women. Further studies should focus on the long-term development of children of schizophrenic mothers, whether or not they have been placed, in order to help clarifying the impact of the risk factors.
Keywords: Institutional placement; Mother and child separation; Psychiatric decompensation; Psychotic disorders; Risk factors.