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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 5/2007

01-05-2007 | ORIGINAL PAPER

Global and relationship-specific perceptions of support and the development of postpartum depressive symptomatology

Authors: Cindy-Lee Dennis, PhD, Nicole Letourneau, RN, PhD

Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | Issue 5/2007

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Abstract

Background

A lack of social support has consistently been demonstrated to be an important modifiable risk factor for postpartum depression. As such, a greater understanding of specific support variables may assist health professionals in the development of effective preventive interventions. The purpose of this paper was two-fold: (1) to determine if women discriminated between global and relationship-specific perceptions of support, and (2) to examine the influence of global and relationship-specific perceptions of support in the immediate postpartum period on the development of depressive symptomatology at 8 weeks postpartum.

Methods

As part of a longitudinal study, a diverse sample of 594 mothers completed questionnaires that included the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and global and relationship-specific (e.g., partner, mother, and other women with children) measures of support.

Results

Mothers clearly discriminated between global and relationship-specific perceptions of support and those with depressive symptomatology at 8 weeks had significantly lower perceptions of both global and relationship-specific support at 1-week postpartum. Using discriminant function analysis, four variables, reliable reliance from partner, nurturance from partner, attachment to other women with children, and EPDS score at 1-week postpartum, differentiated between mothers who experienced depressive symptomatology at 8 weeks and those who did not.

Conclusion

Relationship-specific interventions may be beneficial if they include strategies that target a positive partner relationship through preceptions of reliable alliance and feeling needed and provide opportunites for interaction with other mothers. Maternal mood at 1 week postpartum was the largest predictor of depressive symptomatology at 8 weeks.
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Metadata
Title
Global and relationship-specific perceptions of support and the development of postpartum depressive symptomatology
Authors
Cindy-Lee Dennis, PhD
Nicole Letourneau, RN, PhD
Publication date
01-05-2007
Publisher
D. Steinkopff-Verlag
Published in
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology / Issue 5/2007
Print ISSN: 0933-7954
Electronic ISSN: 1433-9285
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-007-0172-5

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