People with intellectual disability are more likely to experience mental health conditions than people without intellectual disability. People with intellectual disability also experience barriers to accessing appropriate mental health care.
It is important that people with intellectual disability receive appropriate mental health care during pregnancy and in the year after childbirth (the perinatal period). This is important because co-occurring mental health conditions can contribute to poor outcomes for people with intellectual disability and their families.
This project used existing linked health service datasets (eg, hospitalisations, emergency department visits, mental health service contacts) to examine the mental health service use of new and expecting parents with intellectual disability.
Read about our research
Read an Easy Read summary of our research and what we found.
Research paper
Cvejic, R. C., Watkins, T. R., Walker, A. R., Weise, J., Brew, B. K., Reilly, N., Reppermund, S., Koncz, R., Srasuebkul, P., & Trollor, J. N. Perinatal mental health outcomes for people with intellectual disability: A data linkage study in New South Wales, Australia. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. First published online October 7, 2026. doi:10.1177/00048674261490053
Project lead: Rachael Cvejic
Project team: Julian Trollor, Janelle Weise, Simone Reppermund, Preeyaporn Srasuebkul, Tim Watkins, Adrian Walker, Bronwyn Brew, and Nicole Reilly
