title: Social support and self-esteem as mediators between stress and antepartum depressive symptoms in rural pregnant women.
abstract: The purpose of this secondary analysis was to determine whether satisfaction with social support and self-esteem mediated the relationship between antepartum stress and depressive symptoms in women attending prenatal clinics in a rural Southeastern community (N = 318). Path analysis with linear regression indicated that the relationship between antepartum stress and depressive symptoms was partially mediated by higher levels of the internal resources of satisfaction with social support and self-esteem. Self-esteem had a greater influence on the relationship between antepartum stress and depressive symptoms than did satisfaction with social support. These findings suggest further study to determine whether developing culturally tailored interventions that emphasize stress reduction activities in addition to enhancing self-esteem and increasing satisfaction with social support can decrease the burden of antepartum depressive symptoms in rural low-income women.
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor, East Carolina University College of Nursing, 3160 Health Sciences Building, Greenville, NC 27858; Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, NC.
authors.forename: D Elizabeth
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Jesse
authors.forename: Heejung
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Herndon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D012649:Self Concept; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control