The maternity blues: exploration of a psychological hypothesis.
Previous studies of the maternity blues have failed to identify a consistent factor discriminating between the group of women who experienced the phenomenon and those who did not. The present study hypothesized that the maternity blues are a hormonally-assisted grief reaction which will occur predominantly in women whose antenatal expectation of baby or delivery fails to be fulfilled by the reality events. The hypothesis was tested in a prospective study of 89 women. The phenomenology of the blues was not found to be associated with the hypothesized sense of disappointment or anti-climax despite many womens' experiences falling short of expectation. Rather, the most powerful predictor of the blues was a sense of "pessimism" in late pregnancy which was actually fulfilled by postpartum reality. In addition, the triad comprising of severity of pre-menstrual tension, unplanned pregnancy and consideration given to elective termination in early pregnancy was associated with increased incidence of the blues.
Condon
J T
JT
Department of Psychiatry, Flinders Medical Centre, Bedford Park, South Australia.
Watson
T L
TL
D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000523:psychology; D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011293:Premenstrual Syndrome / Q000150:complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011644:Puerperal Disorders / Q000523:psychology*