Better understanding how cognitive processes operate to influence women's depressive symptoms during the postpartum period is crucial for informing preventive and treatment approaches. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between women's dysfunctional attitudes towards motherhood and depressive symptoms, considering the mediating role of negative automatic thoughts and the moderating role of self-compassion. A sample of 387 women in the postpartum period cross-sectionally answered a set of questionnaires to assess dysfunctional attitudes towards motherhood, negative automatic thoughts (general and postpartum-specific), depressive symptoms and self-compassion. Women with clinically significant depressive symptoms presented more dysfunctional attitudes towards motherhood, more frequent negative thoughts and lower self-compassion. More dysfunctional beliefs about others' judgments and about maternal responsibility were associated with higher depressive symptoms, and this effect occurred through both general and postpartum-specific thoughts related to the metacognitive appraisal of the thought content. Moreover, these relationships occurred only when women presented low or moderate levels of self-compassion. These results highlight the need to comprehensively assess women's cognitive variables during the postpartum period with appropriate measures, for the early identification of women with more dysfunctional beliefs about motherhood, who may be at higher risk of depression.Moreover, preventive/treatment approaches should aim not only to challenge women's pre-existing dysfunctional beliefs but also to promote a more self-compassionate attitude towards themselves.
Key Practitioner Messages
| Cognitive Psychology & Psychotherapy• Women's more dysfunctional attitudes towards motherhood (particularly related with others' judgments and with maternal responsibility) may lead to more frequent negative automatic thoughts, and these negative thoughts may go beyond the postpartum specific context;• The relationship between women's more dysfunctional attitudes towards motherhood and depressive symptoms seem to occur via negative automatic thoughts, particularly related with the metacognitive appraisal of the thoughts' content;• Higher self-compassion levels buffers the relationship between women's attitudes towards motherhood and postpartum depressive symptoms;• Preventive and treatment approaches for postpartum depression should address the reappraisal of women's beliefs about motherhood and the promotion of a more self-compassionate attitude;