Risk factors for postpartum depressive symptoms

Abstract Purpose:The purpose of the present study is to clarify predictors of postpartum depressive symptoms. The study focuses on the relationship between preterm birth and postpartum depressive symptoms in primary medical facilities among mothers who visited one clinic for a medical checkup at 1 month postpartum.Methods:The following data were retrospectively collected from medical records: total Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score, maternal age at birth, parity, history of psychiatric disease, pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), gestational age, infant’s sex and maternal nationality. We analyzed the risk factors for postpartum depressive symptoms as measured by the Japanese version of the EPDS.Results:Of 727 subjects, the mean EPDS score at 1 month postpartum was 4.14 and 76 of the 727 subjects (10.5%) had an EPDS score of 9 points or more. After multivariate analysis, “preterm birth” showed an odds ratio [OR] of 4.14 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.48-11.57; p=0.007), “primipara” an OR of 3.16 [95%CI, 1.81-5.53; p<0.001], “a history of psychiatric disease” an OR of 2.53 [95%CI, 1.23-5.23); p=0.012] and “male infant” an OR of 1.70 [95%CI, 1.02-2.81; p=0.041] were associated with postpartum depressive symptoms.Conclusions:In total, 76 (10.5%) of the 727 subjects (10.5%) had an EPDS score of 9 points or more at 1 month postpartum. Mothers of late premature infants, primipara, mothers with a history of psychiatric disorders, and mothers of boys were more likely to have depressive symptoms in the first month postpartum in low-risk births in Japan. Mothers with these factors in their background might need to be carefully monitored during pregnancy and after delivery.