Stability and Change in Levels of Depression and Personality

Abstract

This prospective longitudinal study investigated the role of the personality dimensions of dependency and self-criticism in the course of depressive symptoms in a sample of inpatient severely postpartum depressed mothers (n = 55). Depressive symptoms and personality were measured during hospitalization and on average 3 1/2 years later. In line with previous research, a considerable subgroup of mothers (39%) reported moderate to severe symptoms of depression at time 2. In addition, although these mothers did not exhibit more depressive episodes during follow-up period compared with mothers with a less chronic course of depression, their depressive episodes were considerably longer, and they had higher levels of severity of depression as well as of dependency and self-criticism at Time 1. Finally, self-criticism, but not dependency, assessed at Time 1, predicted both depression diagnosis and levels of depression at follow-up, supporting a vulnerability model positing that self-criticism confers vulnerability for depression over time.

Research Letter: Is neuroticism a risk factor for postpartum depression?

“…Moreover, we did not study all personality traits; so future postpartum cohort studies should include other personality traits such as perfectionism (Mazzeo et al 2006; Gelabert et al 2011) and coping styles (de Tychey et al 2005). Recent preliminary data showed that self-criticism traits might also be an important factor in the persistence of depressive symptoms in postpartum depression (Vliegen et al 2010). However, we were interested in studied personality traits and other risk factors in the postpartum period.…”

A systematic review of research on psychiatric mother-baby units

“…However the French version has more details on paternal disorders, drug treatments and past-history of both parents (Cazas et al 2004). In terms of drawing on the same empirical study, Vliegen and colleagues use the same sample and similar instruments (Vliegen et al, 2010;Vliegen et al 2013). …”

“…The remainder of the sources focused on multiple MBUs, with Howard et al (2004) focusing on 18 MBUs in the UK, Glangeaud-Freudenthal et al (2013) focusing on 13 in France and 3 in Belgium, GlangeaudFreudenthal et al (2011) andSutter-Dallay et al (2015) focusing on 13 in France, Elkin et al (2009) focusing on 12 in England, Glangeaud-Freudenthal and The MBU-SMF Working Group (2004) focusing on 11 in France and Belgium, Salmon et al (2003Salmon et al ( , 2004 and Abel et al (2005) focusing on eight MBUs and three facilities in the UK, Buist et al (2004) focusing on four in Australia, Vliegen et al (2010;2013) focusing on two in Belgium, and the remainder focusing on an unspecified multiple number in the UK (Howard, Shah, Salmon, and Appleby 2003) and Australia (Milgrom and Beatrice 2003).…”

“…When specific MBUs were named in the 44 publications, it was evident that there are multiple sources collecting data from the same places: Bethlem Royal Hospital in South London, UK (Kenny et al 2013;Pawlby et al 2010;Seneviratne et al 2003), Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester, UK (Antonysamy, Wieck, and Wittkowski 2009;Neil, Sanderson, and Wieck 2006), Austin Hospital in Melbourne, Australia (Bilszta, Buist, Wang, and Zulkefli 2012;, Helen Mayo House in Adelaide, Australia (Connerty et al 2015;Yelland et al 2015); and unnamed MBUs in Belgium (Vliegen et al 2010;Vliegen et al 2013) and Manchester in the UK (Wan, Salmon et al 2007;Wan, Warburton et al 2007; highlights that aside from the larger scale Marcé database information, studies focus on a small number of MBUs.…”

“…A three and a half year follow-up study in Belgium found that 61% of mothers were functioning 'relatively well', but 39% continued to be impacted by severe depression (Vliegen et al 2013;Vliegen et al 2010). In the UK, Hipwell et al's (2000) follow-up study of 82 mother-infant dyads over the child's first year of life found that mother-infant interactions were still impacted negatively by the mother's illness.…”