Correlates of self-reports of being very depressed in the months after delivery: results from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System.
OBJECTIVE
This study identified correlates of self-reports of being very depressed in the months after delivery in a population-based sample of women.


METHODS
We analyzed data on 14,609 recent mothers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS). The sample included mothers who delivered a live birth in Colorado, New York State, and North Carolina from 1996 (New York only) to 1999. We assessed risk factors for self-reports of being very depressed in the months after delivery using logistic regression.


RESULTS
Overall, 5.9% (95% CI = 5.3, 6.4) of new mothers reported being very depressed in the months after delivery. Women who reported that their pregnancy was a "very hard time" or "one of the worst times of my life" had the highest prevalence of reporting being very depressed in the months after delivery (24.9%, 95% CI = 21.3, 28.5) and, when all risk factors were adjusted for simultaneously, were 4.6 times (95% CI = 3.1, 6.3) more likely to report being very depressed in the months after delivery than other women. Other significant risk factors for self-reports of being very depressed in the months after delivery included experiencing partner-associated stress (OR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.5, 2.5), physical abuse during pregnancy (OR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.1, 2.4), and not breast-feeding (OR = 1.4, 95% CI = 1.1, 1.8).


CONCLUSIONS
The highest prevalence for self-reports of being very depressed in the months after delivery was in women who reported that their pregnancy was a "very hard time" or "one of the worst times of my life." Clinicians need to be aware of the needs of some women for mental health services both during and after pregnancy.
Gross
Kevin H
KH
Human and Environmental Sciences, Department of Child Development and Family Relations, East Carolina University, 150 Rivers Building, Greenville, North Carolina 27858-4353, USA. grossk@mail.ecu.edu
Wells
Chris S
CS
Radigan-Garcia
Anne
A
Dietz
Patricia M
PM
D000328:Adult; D040343:Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; D003120:Colorado / Q000453:epidemiology; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008429:Maternal Welfare; D009518:New York / Q000453:epidemiology; D009657:North Carolina / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000523:psychology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors