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Intimate Partner Violence Associated with Postpartum Depression, Regardless of Socioeconomic Status

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Abstract

Objective This study examined whether socioeconomic status moderated the association between intimate partner violence (IPV) and postpartum depression among a community-based sample of women. Defining the role of poverty in the risk of postpartum depression for IPV victims enables prioritization of health promotion efforts to maximize the effectiveness of existing maternal-infant resources. Methods This cross-sectional telephone-survey study interviewed 301 postpartum women 2 months after delivery, screening them for IPV and depression [using Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)]. Socioeconomic status was defined by insurance (Medicaid-paid-delivery or not). This analysis controlled for the following covariates, collected through interview and medical-record review: demographics, obstetric history, prenatal health and additional psychosocial risk factors. After adjusting for significant covariates, multiple linear regression was conducted to test whether socioeconomic status confounded or moderated IPV’s relationship with EPDS-score. Results Ten percent of participants screened positive for postpartum depression, 21.3 % screened positive for current or previous adult emotional or physical abuse by a partner, and 32.2 % met poverty criteria. IPV and poverty were positively associated with each other (χ2 (1) = 11.76, p < .001) and with EPDS score (IPV: beta 3.2 (CI 2.0, 4.5) p < .001, poverty: beta 1.3 (CI 0.2, 2.4) p = .017). In the multiple linear regression, IPV remained significantly associated, but poverty did not (IPV: adjusted beta 3.1 (CI 1.8, 4.3) p < .001, poverty: adjusted beta 0.8 (CI −0.3, 1.9) p = .141), and no statistically significant interaction between IPV and poverty was found. Conclusions Study findings illustrated that IPV was strongly associated with postpartum depression, outweighing the influence of socioeconomic status upon depression for postpartum women.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the women who participated for their generosity of time and spirit. This project received funding from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation and the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, Liepman Family Fund.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Western Michigan University Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine, 1000 Oakland Drive, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008, USA

    Catherine L. Kothari

  2. Western Michigan University Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine, 1717 Shaffer Street, Suite 010, Kalamazoo, MI, 49048, USA

    Michael R. Liepman, R. Shama Tareen, Remitha M. Charoth & Suzanne S. Haas

  3. Michigan School of Professional Psychology, 26811 Orchard Lake Road, Farmington Hills, MI, 48334, USA

    Phyllis Florian

  4. Western Michigan University, 1903 W. Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008, USA

    Joseph W. McKean, Angela Moe & Amy Curtis

  5. University of California-San Francisco School of Medicine, 513 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA

    James Wiley

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  1. Catherine L. Kothari
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Kothari, C.L., Liepman, M.R., Shama Tareen, R. et al. Intimate Partner Violence Associated with Postpartum Depression, Regardless of Socioeconomic Status. Matern Child Health J 20, 1237–1246 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-016-1925-0

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