title: Socioeconomic status and depression during and after pregnancy in the Franconian Maternal Health Evaluation Studies (FRAMES).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Depression during and after pregnancy can have a negative impact on women's quality of life and on the development of the newborn child. Interventions have been shown to have a positive influence on both mothers and children. Predictive factors for depressive symptoms might possibly be able to identify groups that are at high risk. The aim of this study was to investigate the value of socioeconomic factors in predicting depressive symptoms during and after pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Depressiveness was measured using the German version of the 10-item Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) at three time-points, in a prospective cohort study (n = 1,100). Visit 1 (Q1) was at study entry in the third trimester of the pregnancy, visit 2 (Q2) was shortly after birth, and visit 3 (Q3) was 6-8 months after birth. Depression scores were associated with socioeconomic factors and time in linear mixed models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Parity status, education status, monthly income, residential property status, and partnership status, as well as interactions between them, were found to be predictive factors for EPDS scores. The strongest factor influencing depressive symptoms was partnership status. Women who did not have an intact partnership had EPDS scores that were on average four points higher than in women with a partner at all three study visits (P < 0.000001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Socioeconomic factors define subgroups that have different depression scores during and after pregnancy. Partnership status appears to be one of the most important influencing factors and could be useful for identifying women who should be offered an intervention to prevent possible negative effects on the mother or child.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Erlangen University Hospital, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Universitaetsstrasse 21-23, 91054, Erlangen, Germany, alexander.hein@uk-erlangen.de.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hein
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rauh
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Engel
authors.forename: Lothar
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Häberle
authors.forename: Ulf
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Dammer
authors.forename: Franziska
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Voigt
authors.forename: Peter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Fasching
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Faschingbauer
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Burger
authors.forename: Matthias W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Beckmann
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kornhuber
authors.forename: Tamme W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Goecke
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008429:Maternal Welfare; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D057566:Self Report; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors