title: Prospective study on the association between harm avoidance and postpartum depressive state in a maternal cohort of Japanese women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent studies have displayed increased interest in examining the relationship between personality traits and the onset, treatment response patterns, and relapse of depression. This study aimed to examine whether or not harm avoidance (HA) was a risk factor for postpartum depression measured by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the state dependency of HA.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pregnant women (n=460; mean age 31.9±4.2 years) who participated in a prenatal program completed the EPDS as a measure of depressive state and the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) as a measure of HA during three periods: early pregnancy (T1), late pregnancy (around 36 weeks), and 1 month postpartum (T2). Changes in EPDS and HA scores from T1 to T2 were compared between the non depressive (ND) group and the postpartum depressive (PD) group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no significant difference in the level of HA between the ND and PD groups at T1. In the ND group, EPDS and HA scores did not change significantly from T1 to T2. In the PD group, both scores increased significantly from T1 to T2 (EPDS, p<0.0001; HA, p<0.048). In the ND and PD groups, a significant positive correlation was observed in changes in EPDS and HA scores from T1 to T2 (r=0.31, p=0.002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that HA cannot be considered a risk factor for the development of postpartum depression measured by EPDS. Furthermore, HA may be state dependent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Furumura
authors.forename: Takayoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koide
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Satomi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Murase
authors.forename: Branko
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Aleksic
authors.forename: Norika
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hayakawa
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shiino
authors.forename: Yukako
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Ai
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tamaji
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Harue
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohoka
authors.forename: Hinako
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Usui
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Banno
authors.forename: Tokiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.forename: Setsuko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: Atsuko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kanai
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Masuda
authors.forename: Norio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ozaki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D015331:Cohort Studies; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D040261:Harm Reduction; D006801:Humans; D010551:Personality; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000523:psychology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors