Postpartum depression

Risk factors for postpartum depression

The things that put you at higher risk for postpartum depression are the same as those that put you at higher risk for

depression
Depression is a mental illness in which your mood is low and you feel sad much of the time. It can range from a mild illness through to a severe one in which you lose interest in life and may be suicidal.

depression at other times.

These are the most important risk factors.

Source:
O'Hara MW, Swain AM.
Rates and risks of postpartum depression: a meta-analysis.
International Review of Psychiatry. 1996; 8: 37-54.

Source:
Beck CT.
A meta-analysis of predictors of postpartum depression.
Nursing Research. 1996; 45: 297-303.

Source:
Wilson LM, Reid AJ, Midmer DK, et al.
Antenatal psychosocial risk factors associated with adverse postpartum family outcomes.
Canadian Medical Association Journal. 1996; 154: 785-799.

Source:
Robertson E, Grace S, Wallington T, et al.
Antenatal risk factors for postpartum depression: a synthesis of recent literature.
General Hospital Psychiatry. 2004; 26: 289-295.

⁴

Source:
O'Hara MW, Gorman LL.
Can postpartum depression be predicted?
Primary Psychiatry. 2004; 11: 42-47.

⁵

You've had a mental illness before, particularly depression. This includes postpartum depression after a previous pregnancy.
You don't get enough support from people like your friends and neighbors, relatives and health professionals.
You have a bad relationship with your husband or partner.
You have difficult things happening in your life. For example, you may have lost your job or your partner has lost his or her job. Or you've had to move somewhere new when you didn't want to. Or a close family member or friend of yours has been in an accident, had an illness or has died.

You may also be at higher risk for postpartum depression if these things have happened to you:

Source:
O'Hara MW, Swain AM.
Rates and risks of postpartum depression: a meta-analysis.
International Review of Psychiatry. 1996; 8: 37-54.

Source:
Beck CT.
A meta-analysis of predictors of postpartum depression.
Nursing Research. 1996; 45: 297-303.

Source:
Wilson LM, Reid AJ, Midmer DK, et al.
Antenatal psychosocial risk factors associated with adverse postpartum family outcomes.
Canadian Medical Association Journal. 1996; 154: 785-799.

Source:
Nielsen Forman D, Videbech P, Hedegaard M, et al.
Postpartum depression: identification of women at risk.
British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 2000; 107: 1210-1217.

⁶

You had problems during your pregnancy
You have been abused
Your family doesn't have much income
You don't get much job satisfaction.

Your risk of postpartum depression may also be higher than average if you have or had any of these problems:

Source:
Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network.
Postnatal depression and puerperal psychosis. Clinical guideline no. 60.
June 2002. Available at http://www.sign.ac.uk (accessed on 27 February 2009).

⁷

Source:
Boyce P, Hickey A.
Psychosocial risk factors to major depression after childbirth.
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. 2005; 40: 605-612.

⁸

You didn't plan to get pregnant
You're a teenage mother
You're not breastfeeding
It took a long time for you to get pregnant
Your partner has depression
You had a condition called the baby blues in the first days after your baby was born (to read more, see The baby blues)
You have two or more children
Your baby has, or had, health problems
Your baby died.

Sources for the information on this page:

O'Hara MW, Swain AM.Rates and risks of postpartum depression: a meta-analysis.International Review of Psychiatry. 1996; 8: 37-54.

Beck CT.A meta-analysis of predictors of postpartum depression.Nursing Research. 1996; 45: 297-303.

Wilson LM, Reid AJ, Midmer DK, et al.Antenatal psychosocial risk factors associated with adverse postpartum family outcomes.Canadian Medical Association Journal. 1996; 154: 785-799.

Robertson E, Grace S, Wallington T, et al.Antenatal risk factors for postpartum depression: a synthesis of recent literature.General Hospital Psychiatry. 2004; 26: 289-295.

O'Hara MW, Gorman LL.Can postpartum depression be predicted?Primary Psychiatry. 2004; 11: 42-47.

Nielsen Forman D, Videbech P, Hedegaard M, et al.Postpartum depression: identification of women at risk.British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 2000; 107: 1210-1217.

Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network.Postnatal depression and puerperal psychosis. Clinical guideline no. 60.June 2002. Available at http://www.sign.ac.uk (accessed on 27 February 2009).

Boyce P, Hickey A.Psychosocial risk factors to major depression after childbirth.Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. 2005; 40: 605-612.

This information was last updated on Mar 06, 2009

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment.
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