Postpartum depressive symptoms in the first 17 mon

Authors: Daniela BielinskiBlattmann Sakari Lemola Chantal Jaussi Werner Stadlmayr Alexander Grob

Publish Date: 2009/07/28

Volume: 54, Issue: 5, Pages: 333-

PDF Link

Abstract

This study investigates the impact on different postpartum depressive trajectories ie “non depressive symptoms” “stable depressive symptoms” “deterioration” and “improvement” from 5–17 months after childbirth exerted by emotional support that mothers receive from their partners and emotional support they provide to their partnersThe initial level and the change in emotional support that mothers received from their partners were related to different trajectories of postpartum depressive symptoms Mothers who were living in a partnership with low reciprocal emotional support showed a significantly higher risk of suffering from “stable depressive symptoms” than mothers who were living in a partnership with high reciprocal emotional supportAn increased risk of persistent depressive symptoms beyond the early postpartum period was observed in mothers with poor reciprocal emotional support in the partnership Further research is needed for a better understanding of the mothers persistent depressive symptoms after childbirth associated with reciprocity of emotional support in the partnershipThis study was conducted within the research project “Substance use and psychosocial risk of mothers in Switzerland” which was supported by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health SFOPH Decree No 03001623 to Prof Dr A Grob The study was run at the Department of Personality Individual Differences and Diagnostics University of Berne and at the Department of Personality and Developmental Psychology University of Basel We thank Dr Heather Murray for her invaluable help in proofreading the manuscript and above all the mothers and fathers who participated in this study

Keywords: