Personality type, social support and other correlates of risk for affective disorders in early puerperium

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of risk for postpartum mood disorders in mothers during the early postnatal period and to search for coexisting conditions. Material and methods:We studied 546 women in the first week after delivery. The subjects filled out a questionnaire concerning their health, social and demographic status, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire, the NEO-FFI Personality Inventory and the Berlin Social Support Scales.Results: Probable mood disorders affected 15.85% of these patients. The risk increased with a current cesarean section (ORa = 2.54), a higher level of neuroticism (ORa = 1.65), greater fear of childbirth (ORa = 1.18), a lower level of extraversion (ORa = 0.77) and greater need for social support (ORa = 2.68).Conclusions: High level of neuroticism and introversion, as well as higher fear of delivery and the need of social support are among factors increasing the probability of mood disturbances in early postpartum period. A cesarean section might elevate the risk similarly. The mental health of such patients should be carefully examined.

Maternal personality, social support, and changes in depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms during pregnancy and after delivery: A prospective-longitudinal study

“…Consistent with some previous research [ 55 , 61 – 63 ], we further found that more conscientious and more extraverted women experienced fewer depressive and stress symptoms across the peripartum period. Possibly, more conscientious women were characterized by a higher sense of mastery and more effective self-regulation strategies [ 64 , 68 ] and thus managed to adjust to their novel role as a (an expectant) mother more easily.…”

“…During pregnancy and after delivery, (expectant) mothers are confronted with manifold changes concerning their body, their family, and their social identity [1][2][3][4]. As suggested by previous research, their personality [54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63] and levels of perceived social support [5,[69][70][71] might crucially affect how they adjust to these changes and whether they do or do not experience alterations in depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms across the peripartum period. Psychopathological symptoms and elevated distress during pregnancy and after delivery have been associated with multiple adversities (e.g., an impaired mother-child-relationship) [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21], which in turn have been linked to developmental problems in the offspring [12,[18][19][20][21].…”

“…Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies evidenced that more emotionally stable women were at lower risk for depressive and anxiety symptoms and disorders during pregnancy and after delivery [54][55][56][57][58][59][60]. Some studies also found that higher levels on other Big Five personality traits-especially extraversion [55,[61][62][63] and conscientiousness [55,63]-were associated with a lower risk for peripartum depression or anxiety. However, the predictive role of individual Big Five personality traits for changes in depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms during pregnancy and after delivery remains an open question.…”

Medical and psychosocial determinants of risk of postpartum depression: a cross-sectional study

“…Personality traits such as high neuroticism, low extraversion, and conscientiousness are associated with postpartum disorders (8,9,12,32,33). According to our results, neuroticism is the strongest predictive factor for establishing the probability of PPD, as it was significant in a multivariate logistic regression model.…”

Psychometric evaluation of the Polish version of the Support in Intimate Relationships Rating Scale – Revised (SIRRS-R)

“…Having close, supportive ties with others can have a significant positive effect on health, physiological response to psychological stressors (including better functioning of the immune system and reduced cardiovascular reactivity), coping with illness and stress, and promoting longevity (for reviews, see Dickerson & Zoccola, 2011;Uchino, 2006). Researchers have focused on the importance of social support for the functioning of individuals in many contexts of family life associated with stress, such as coping with serious illness and recovering (Luszczynska, Boehmer, Knoll, Schulz, & Schwarzer, 2007;Ogińska-Bulik, 2013;, coping with aging (Acitelli & Antonucci, 1994;Cutrona, Russell, & Rose, 1986), dealing with the consequences of divorce and successfully adjusting to post-divorce life (Amato, 2000;Kołodziej-Zaleska & Przybyła-Basista, 2016), bringing up children with special needs or disabilities (Barnett, Clements, Kaplan-Estrin, & Fialka, 2003;Findler, Jacoby, & Gabis, 2016;Kózka & Przybyła-Basista, 2018), and functioning of women during pregnancy and the postpartum period (Dunkel-Schetter, Sagrestano, Feldman, & Killingsworth, 1996;Ilska & Przybyła-Basista, 2017;Maliszewska, Bidzan, Świątkowska, & Preis, 2016;Rini, Dunkel-Schetter, Hobel, Glynn, & Sandman, 2006;Negron, Martin, Almog, Balbierz, & Howell, 2013). In all these contexts of overcoming life's hardships, social support can prove crucial for ensuring health and well-being, as well as finding effective ways of coping with stress.…”