To describe the prevalence of symptoms of depression and anxiety, and the level of life stress and worry in late pregnancy for Māori and non-Māori women.

In late pregnancy, women completed a questionnaire recording their prior history of mood disorders; self-reported current depressive symptoms (>=13 on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale), current anxiety symptoms (>=6 on the anxiety items from the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale), significant life stress (>=2 items on life stress scale) and dysfunctional worry (>12 on the Brief Measure of Worry Scale).

Data were obtained from 406 Māori women (mean age = 27.6 years, standard deviation=6.3 years) and 738 non-Māori women (mean age = 31.6 years, standard deviation=5.3 years). Depressive symptoms (22% vs 15%), anxiety symptoms (25% vs 20%), significant life stress (55% vs 30%) and a period of poor mood during the current pregnancy (18% vs 14%) were more prevalent for Māori than non-Maori women. Less than 50% of women who had experienced >=2 weeks of poor mood during the current pregnancy had sought help. Being young was an independent risk factor for depressive symptoms, significant life stress and dysfunctional worry. A prior history of depression was also consistently associated with a greater risk of negative affect in pregnancy.

Antenatal mental health requires at least as much attention and resourcing as mental health in the postpartum period. Services need to specifically target Māori women, young women and women with a prior history of depression.