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Postpartum Depressive Symptoms Common
Howell and colleagues asked the women to think back to the first two weeks after they delivered their infants. They asked the women about their physical and psychological symptoms. They also asked about their daily function, the behaviors of their infants, their social support, their skill in managing their infant and their households, and their access to and trust in their health care provider.
About 47% of Hispanic women, 44% of black women, and 31% of white women reported postpartum depressive symptoms.
The most common factors linked to postpartum depressive symptoms were:
The findings appear in the June issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Unlike earlier studies, the researchers did not find a woman's history of depression to be linked to postpartum depressive symptoms in the first two weeks after delivery.
"Maybe later on in the postpartum period, a woman's history of depression will predict depressive symptoms," Howell says. "But the prevalence of depressive symptoms is much higher in the first weeks after delivery."
Many Races, 1 Path to Prevention
Regardless of a woman's race or ethnicity, Howell's team found that physical, social, and emotional stresses were linked to postpartum depression.
There were differences in how each of these factors affected black, Hispanic, and white women. But Howell and Leventhal say the similarities among the groups were even more striking.
"The depressive symptoms should not be looked at as characteristics of the people, their personalities," Leventhal says. "Some situations may be more prevalent in some racial or ethnic groups. It is not a symptom of character or biology that this happens. People tend to think of depression as being about some permanent feature of the person. But most of this is situational."
Because these situations are not uncommon, Howell says that preparing for them may be the best way to prevent postpartum depression.
"For example, lack of social support is a very important factor in postpartum depression," she says. "Mothers, before they deliver, should get help by setting up some social support. They can recruit friends, family, or even calling other mothers to ask what they went through. Many women feel isolated during this experience. Talking to people and having social support is very important."
SOURCES: Howell, E.A. Obstetrics & Gynecology, June 2005; vol 105: pp 1442-1450. Department of Health and Human Services. Elizabeth A. Howell, MD, assistant professor of health policy and obstetrics and gynecology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York. Howard Leventhal, PhD, professor of psychology and director, center for health beliefs and behavior, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick. WebMD Medical Reference provided in collaboration with The Cleveland Clinic: "Depression After the Birth of a Child (Postpartum Depression)."