One year follow-up of post-partum-onset depression: the role of depressive symptom severity and personality disorders.
OBJECTIVE
Long-term follow-up and risk factors of persistent post-partum depression (PPD) are fairly unknown compared with its prevalence in the developing countries. In this study, we did a follow-up measure of PPD and examined the factors, which were associated with PPD 1-year post-partum.


METHODS
Our sample comprised of 34 women. Depressive symptoms were assessed by the Edinburgh post-natal depression scale (EPDS) 6 weeks post-partum, and women with scores >12 on this scale was categorised as depressed. Personality disorders were determined at the same occasion by means of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R personality disorders (SCID-II). One year post-partum EPDS was completed.


RESULTS
The rate of PPD 1-year post-partum was 32.4%, and it was unrelated to age at assessment, primiparity, number of children, employment status, economical status and educational level. Women depressed 1-year post-partum had significantly higher basal scores of EPDS and more often also a diagnosis of any axis II disorder; and specifically dependent and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders. In our sample, the predictors of 1-year post-partum PPD were having higher basal score of EPDS and the existence of a personality disorder.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that women with PPD, scoring high in the EPDS scale 6 weeks post-partum and having a personality disorder, run a higher risk for depression at 1-year follow-up.
Uguz
Faruk
F
Meram Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of Selçuk, Konya, Turkey. farukuguz@hotmail.com
Akman
Cemal
C
Sahingoz
Mine
M
Kaya
Nazmiye
N
Kucur
Rahim
R
D000328:Adult; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014421:Turkey; D055815:Young Adult