Influence of marital relationship and child-care stress on maternal depression symptoms in the postpartum.
The predictive influence of two psychosocial factors (marital adjustment and child-care stress) on maternal depressive symptoms at 6, 9 and 12 months postpartum, was investigated. Seventy-one women from a sample of 202 primiparae from a larger study were included. The women were primarily educated, white, middle-class, married women in their early 30s who returned to work within the first postpartum year. Regression analyses indicated that the interaction of marital adjustment and child-care stress significantly influenced maternal depression symptoms at 9 months postpartum. The findings from this study support the necessity for following women beyond the early weeks and months of postpartum in subsequent research.
Merchant
D C
DC
Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA, USA.
Affonso
D D
DD
Mayberry
L J
LJ
D000328:Adult; D002654:Child Care / Q000523:psychology*; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*; D014931:Women, Working / Q000523:psychology