Adjustment, Social Support, and Life Events Across Pregnancy and the Puerperium

Abstract

Pregnancy and the puerperium were both associated with some increase in level of depressive symptomatology, particularly the third trimester of pregnancy and the first 3 weeks postpartum. These differences were reflected in a higher incidence of blues in the childbearing subjects in the first week after delivery but not in diagnosed depression during pregnancy or in the first 9 weeks after delivery. Although risk for depression in childbearing women was the major focus of our work, we were also interested in outcomes and processes that reflected social functioning and the women’s interactions with their social environments. For example, does childbearing impact on a woman’s relationship with her partner, family members, and friends?