Association of Specific Negative Life Events with Depression Severity One Month After Childbirth in Community-Dwelling Mothers
Background: Although there is a consensus view that stressful life events in general are associated with the onset of depression, it is still unclear whether specific events are linked to depression at a particular life stage. The purpose of this study was to identify hassle events specifically related to postpartum depression. Method: In a two-wave study (Wave 1 was at 5 days and Wave 2 was at 1 month after childbirth) we used the Maternity Blues Questionnaire (MBQ) and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and asked participants whether they had experienced each of 41 daily negative life events (NLEs) in different domains since childbirth. The 758 women who returned the questionnaires at both 5 days and 1 month after childbirth were studied. Results: After controlling for the effects of the MBQ scores and the participants’ and partners’ ages, the Wave 2 EPDS score correlated with 3 (23%) items in the Physical Symptoms and Body Image domain, 3 (30%) items in the Lifestyle Changes and Financial Problems domain, 3 (30%) items in the Interpersonal Relationships and Out-of-Home Activities domain, and 6 (75%) items in the Parenting and Newborn Behaviours domain. The Wave 2 EPDS scores were linked significantly with most infant- and parenting-related items, and moderately with interpersonal items. Conclusion: Women caring for infants are more vulnerable to NLEs related to infant care and interpersonal relationships than to those related to physical conditions. Clinicians should pay more attention to events related to infant care during the postpartum period.
Postnatal Depression, Life Events, Content Specificity
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