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Correlates of Early Postpartum Depressive Symptoms

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Background: Postpartum depressive symptoms negatively affect the quality of life and daily functioning of mothers and infants. Little research has examined the impact of situational factors such as physical symptom burden and function on early postpartum depressive symptoms. Objectives: To explore the association between situational factors and early postpartum depressive symptoms. To predict correlates of early postpartum depressive symptoms. Methods: Cross sectional telephone survey of 720 mothers between 2 and 6 weeks postpartum. Mothers reported on demographic factors, physical and psychological symptoms, daily function, infant behaviors, social support, and skills in managing infant and household. The association between these factors and postpartum depressive symptoms were investigated with bivariate and multivariable analyses. Results: Nearly, 39% of patients screened positive for depressive symptoms. Bivariate analyses showed symptomatic patients were more likely to be nonwhite, have lower incomes, less education, a past history of depression, have higher physical symptom burdens, more physical functional limitations, more infant colic, receive less social support, and have lower-self-efficacy scores as compared with patients without symptoms of depression. In a multivariable model predicting depressive symptoms, nonwhite race (odds ratio (OR) of 1.96, 95% confidence interval (CI) of 1.38, 2.78), more physical symptoms (OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.01, 1.32), infant colic (OR 1.79, 95% CI 1.29, 2.50) lack of social support (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.86, 0.95), and lower self-efficacy scores (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.86, 0.94) were associated with depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Nonwhite race, physical symptom burden, infant colic, lack of social support, and lower self-efficacy scores are associated with early postpartum depressive symptoms. Further research is needed to investigate whether providing social support and teaching skills to enhance self-efficacy will reduce the incidence of early postpartum symptoms of depression.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The research reported here was Supported by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grants.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Health Policy, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York City, New York, USA

    Elizabeth A. Howell MD, MPP

  2. The Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA

    Pablo Mora PhD

  3. Department of Psychology, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA

    Howard Leventhal PhD

  4. Department of Health Policy, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1077, New York, 10029-6574, USA

    Elizabeth A. Howell MD, MPP

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  1. Elizabeth A. Howell MD, MPP
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  2. Pablo Mora PhD
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  3. Howard Leventhal PhD
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Correspondence to Elizabeth A. Howell MD, MPP.

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The opinions, view, and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation or Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

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Howell, E.A., Mora, P. & Leventhal, H. Correlates of Early Postpartum Depressive Symptoms. Matern Child Health J 10, 149–157 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-005-0048-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-005-0048-9

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