Lesson 3 - Risk Factors of Postpartum Depression

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Lesson 2 Review

      In Lesson Two we discussed the symptoms in each type of PPD (“baby blues”, postpartum depression, and postpartum psychosis). One thing we know for sure is that it can affect any mother within any race or socioeconomic status. Knowing the symptoms and when they start is important so try to keep track in a mood journal, it will be helpful if you need to see your doctor. 

     Lesson Three will focus on the risk factors, some of which include biological, psychological, social, and lifestyle. Scientists are continuing to study the risk factors and narrow down the research. For now, we have compiled a list of some of the more common risks. 


Comics on postpartum depression

 



(Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/comics-struggle-post-partum-depression_n_5a0db5b4b0c0b2f2f85fab Retrieved 2/17/2021)



     The comics above portray some of the feelings and thoughts new mothers experience after the birth of their baby. If you enjoyed the comics above, many other comics and resources for postpartum depression can be found HERE.


What is a risk factor?

A risk factor is anything that increases the likelihood a person will develop a specific condition. In terms of postpartum depression, a risk factor would include anything that predisposes or makes someone more susceptible to experience postpartum depression. 


Common risk factors for PPD:

  • Mothers who have a hard time breastfeeding are at a higher risk of developing postpartum depression (PPD). Studies have shown that there is an inverse correlation between breastfeeding satisfaction and PPD symptoms (Avilla, Giugliani, Bizon, Martins, Senna, & Giuliani, 2020). Mothers who reported higher satisfaction with breastfeeding also reported lower symptoms of PPD. This included only mothers who wanted to breastfeed and experienced difficulties. Mothers who chose not to breastfeed did not show a greater risk for developing PPD.

  • Most people associate postpartum depression with only the mothers and do not realize that fathers can also experience postpartum depression. Fathers can become depressed and anxious after the birth of a child, especially if the baby spent the first few days in the NICU (Caijiao-Nieto et al., 2021).

  • A study conducted by Zhao & Zhang (2020) found multiple factors for postpartum depression including diet and nutrition, social support and relationships, sleep-related disorders, and vitamin D deficiency, just to name a few.

  • According to Silverman et al. (2017) women who have a history of depression are more at risk for developing postpartum depression.

  • Maternal age has also been linked to postpartum depression. Women between the ages of 13-19 years old had some of the highest levels of depression according to one study (Ghaedrahmati et al., 2017).

  • According to a recent study:


There are numerous barriers that hinder women with PPD to seek treatment. These barriers include lack of knowledge about treatment, family obligations, lack of transportation, stigma, lack of insurance, limited services available, low priority of behavioral health, perceived insufficient time, and poor linkages between systems (Boyd et al., 2019).


As you can see, there are many factors to consider when discussing what causes PPD. It can be difficult to recognize for this very reason. PPD can be influenced by a variety of variables. Every woman is different and so are her risk factors. It is important to know about the risks so that every mother can be prepared for the possibility of postpartum depression.



Here's a short video on the risk factors:




Risk factors cannot be changed, why worry about it?

     Knowing the risk factors ahead of time can prepare new mothers for PPD. Mothers who are able to identify risk factors for PPD in their own lives can be prepared for PPD before they experience it. This allows them to prepare for it. Preparation can make a tremendous difference in the severity of the PPD. Knowing what to be aware of increases the likelihood that mothers will seek help early on.


Challenge/Activity

     Not all risk factors have been mentioned as there are too many to name them all. We invite you to learn more about risk factors that could apply to your specific situation and let us know in the discussion board if these were helpful.


https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdRifixJbbzyBQXnKC-JIi9cUrz-lt0IFhFxkcGQSsBu2MDVw/viewform?usp=sf_link




References

Avilla, J. C. de, Giugliani, C., Bizon, A. M. B. L., Martins, A. C. M., Senna, A. F. K. de, & Giugliani, E. R. J. (2020). Association between maternal satisfaction with breastfeeding and postpartum depression symptoms. PLoS ONE, 15(11), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0242333

Boyd, R. C., Price, J., Mogul, M., Yates, T., & Guevara, J. P. (2019). Pilot RCT of a social media parenting intervention for postpartum mothers with depression symptoms. Journal of Reproductive & Infant Psychology, 37(3), 290–301. https://doi.org/10.1080/02646838.2018.1556788

Cajiao-Nieto, J., Torres-Giménez, A., Merelles-Tormo, A., & Botet-Mussons, F. (2021). Paternal symptoms of anxiety and depression in the first month after childbirth: A comparison between fathers of full-term and preterm infants. Journal of Affective Disorders, 282, 517–526. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.12.175

Ghaedrahmati, M., Kazemi, A., Gholamreza, K., Ebrahimi, A., Bahrami, M. (2017). Postpartum

Depression risk factors: a narrative review. Journal of Education and Health Promotion. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5561681/

Silverman, M. E., Reichenberg, A., Savitz, D. A., Cnattingius, S., Lichtenstein, P., Hultman, C. M., Larsson, H., & Sandin, S. (2017). The risk factors for postpartum depression: A population-based study. Depression & Anxiety (1091-4269), 34(2), 178–187. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22597

Zhao, X., & Zhang, Z. (2020). Risk factors for postpartum depression: An evidence-based systematic review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102353

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