Social Support—A Protective Factor for Depressed Perinatal Women?

Abstract

Social support before and after childbirth is a possible protective factor for perinatal depression. Currently, there is a lack of longitudinal studies beyond the first year postpartum exploring the relationship of social support with depression and anxiety. Social support is also a possible protective factor for adverse child development, which is a known consequence of perinatal depression. The present study followed up a cohort of depressed women (n = 54) from a randomised controlled trial of psychological treatment for antenatal depression. We examined the trajectory of the relationships between perceived social support (Social Provisions Scale), depression (Beck Depression Inventory), and anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory) twice in pregnancy and twice postpartum up to two years. The influence of social support on child development and parenting-related stress was also explored. Two aspects of social support, Reassurance of Worth and Reliable Alliance, were strongly related to perinatal depression and anxiety, particularly when predicting symptoms in late pregnancy. However, the effect of postnatal depression on child development at 9 and 24 months post-birth was not mediated by social support. These results suggest the importance of adjusting current interventions for depressed perinatal women to focus on social support in late pregnancy and the first six months postpartum.

Prevalence of postpartum depression at the clinic for obstetrics and gynecology in Kosovo teaching hospital: Demographic, obstetric and psychosocial risk factors

“…There is strong evidence of the protective role of social support to reduce the PPD rate with remarkable low PPD incidence rate among mothers with social support, in late pregnancy and first 6 months postpartum (4,22,32,44).…”

Effect of antenatal depression on adverse birth outcomes in Gondar town, Ethiopia: A community-based cohort study

“…Further reviews from middle-and low-income countries indicate that the risk of preterm birth and LBW is higher among pregnant women who have experienced depression, anxiety and stress during their pregnancy [3,[20][21][22][23][24]. A preventive effect of social support and stress coping ability from adverse birth outcomes was implicated in previous studies [25,26]. However, their moderating or mediating effect in the pathway between antenatal depression and adverse birth outcomes was not well studied in Ethiopia.…”

Can We Predict the Evolution of Depressive Symptoms, Adjustment, and Perceived Social Support of Pregnant Women from Their Personality Characteristics? a Technology-Supported Longitudinal Study

“…Additionally, there is a large body of research suggesting that pregnant women may be particularly vulnerable to the detrimental effects of environmental stressors on their mental health [2], which altogether would explain the existence of high emotional distress and stress in this period of the woman's life [3]. For example, it is estimated that prenatal depression argued that poor social support, which is known to negatively impact mood and adjustment during the perinatal period [28,29], might be partly influenced by the personality profile of the mothers (i.e., high N, low E, and high P would arguably represent the high-risk profile) [13,17,20], this also remains unexplored during pregnancy. Note that social support and adjustment are key factors associated with well-being in the mother.…”

“…Note that social support and adjustment are key factors associated with well-being in the mother. Social support (i.e., perceived support from family, partners, and peers) is important both during pregnancy and at the postpartum, and low perceived support appears to add to the mental burden associated with the perinatal period (i.e., depression) [29]. Regarding maladjustment, this measure of poor emotional adaptation to the challenges that can occur during the perinatal period has been associated not only with suffering in the mother but also with internalizing problems in the baby [30].…”