title: Stability and change in levels of depression and personality: a follow-up study of postpartum depressed mothers that were hospitalized in a mother-infant unit.
abstract: This prospective longitudinal study investigated the role of the personality dimensions of dependency and self-criticism in the course of depressive symptoms in a sample of inpatient severely postpartum depressed mothers (n = 55). Depressive symptoms and personality were measured during hospitalization and on average 3 1/2 years later. In line with previous research, a considerable subgroup of mothers (39%) reported moderate to severe symptoms of depression at time 2. In addition, although these mothers did not exhibit more depressive episodes during follow-up period compared with mothers with a less chronic course of depression, their depressive episodes were considerably longer, and they had higher levels of severity of depression as well as of dependency and self-criticism at Time 1. Finally, self-criticism, but not dependency, assessed at Time 1, predicted both depression diagnosis and levels of depression at follow-up, supporting a vulnerability model positing that self-criticism confers vulnerability for depression over time.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. nicole.vliegen@psy.kuleuven.be
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vliegen
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Luyten
authors.forename: Avi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Besser
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Casalin
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kempke
authors.forename: Eileen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003858:Dependency, Psychological; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006757:Hospital Units; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D049590:Postpartum Period; D012307:Risk Factors; D012649:Self Concept; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index