Postpartum depression symptoms in newcomers.
OBJECTIVE
To determine if postpartum depression (PPD) symptoms are more common in newcomer women than in Canadian-born women.


METHODS
Refugee, nonrefugee immigrant, asylum-seeking, and Canadian-born new mothers were administered questionnaires for depression, social support, interpersonal violence, and demographic information. We created a PPD variable based on a score of > or = 10 on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and performed a logistic regression analysis for PPD.


RESULTS
Immigrants (35.1%), asylum seekers (31.1%), and refugees (25.7%) were significantly more likely than Canadian-born (8.1%) women to score > or = 10 (P = 0.008) on the EPDS, with the regression model showing an increased risk (odds ratio) for refugee (4.80), immigrant (4.58), and asylum-seeking (3.06) women. Women with less prenatal care were also more likely to have an EPDS of > or = 10 (P = 0.03). Newcomer women with EPDS scores of > or = 10 had lower social support scores than Canadian-born women (P < 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Newcomer mothers have an increased risk for PPD symptoms. Social support interventions should be tested for their ability to prevent or alleviate this risk.
Stewart
Donna E
DE
University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto General Hospital, Ontario. donna.stewart@uhn.on.ca
Gagnon
Anita
A
Saucier
Jean-Francois
JF
Wahoush
Olive
O
Dougherty
Geoffrey
G
D000069:Acculturation; D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D015995:Prevalence; D012036:Refugees / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires