Psychosomatic Medicine, Vol 49, Issue 2 183-196, Copyright © 1987 by American Psychosomatic Society

ORIGINAL ARTICLES

Psychopathology in prenatally DES-exposed females: current and lifetime adjustment

AA Ehrhardt, JF Feldman, LR Rosen, HF Meyer-Bahlburg, R Gruen, NP Veridiano, J Endicott and P Cohen

This report concerns the long-term effects of prenatal exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES) on overall psychologic functioning in females. Thirty DES-exposed women aged 17-30 years and 30 control women with a history of abnormal Pap smear findings were interviewed with the SADS-L and completed the SCL-90-R and the PRI-Q. Both DES and PAP women showed elevated symptoms on the SCL-90-R in comparison to published norms and were similar to women with cancer, but their rates of psychiatric disorders (SADS-L/RDC) at the time of the evaluation did not differ from community norms. However, both groups met criteria for Major Depressive Disorder (lifetime) significantly above expectancy, and the DES women reported slightly more episodes than the control group. The DES women also had significantly more problems than the PAP control group in social relations with spouses and other significant persons.