Turning the pink cloud grey: Dampening of positive affect predicts postpartum depressive symptoms

Abstract

Abstract:Background. Maladaptive response styles to negative affect have been shown to be associated with prospective (postpartum) depression. Whether maladaptive styles to positive affect are also critically involved is understudied, even though anhedonia (i.e. low positive affectivity) is a cardinal symptom of depression. The present study is the first to investigate the predictive value of cognitive response styles to both negative (depressive rumination) and positive affect (dampening) for postpartum depressive symptoms. Methods. During the third trimester of pregnancy, 210 women completed self-report instruments assessing depression (symptom severity and current and/or past episodes) and scales gauging the presence of depressive rumination and dampening. Of these women, 187 were retained for postpartum follow-up, with depressive symptoms being reassessed at 12 (n = 171) and 24 (n = 176) weeks after delivery.Results. Regression analyses showed that higher levels of dampening of positive affect during pregnancy predicted higher levels of depressive symptoms at 12 and 24 weeks postpartum, irrespective of initial symptom severity, past history of depression and levels of rumination to negative affect. Prepartum trait levels of rumination, however, did not predict postpartum symptomatology when controlled for baseline symptoms and history of major depressive episode(s).Conclusions. The results of this investigation add to the emerging body of evidence suggesting that the way people cognitively respond to positive affect contributes equally or perhaps even more so to the development of depression than maladaptive response styles to negative affect. Our study is the first to extend this observation to

The emotional and practical experiences of formula‐feeding mothers

“…This is the first study to provide numerical evidence to support qualitative research (Bailey et al, 2004;Cloherty et al, 2004;Lee, 2007;Mozingo et al, 2000;Earle, 2000;Cairney et al, 2006) and quantify the highly pervasive nature of negative emotions occurring among formula-feeding women. Moreover, they are a precursor to more serious postnatal mood disorders and potentially deleterious maternal or infant health outcomes (Raes et al, 2014;Glasheen, Richardson, & Fabio, 2010;Grace, Evindar, & Stewart, 2003). These findings indicate a widespread public health issue that requires urgent attention from infant feeding policy makers in order to protect the emotional wellbeing of formula feeding mothers at an already precarious time.…”

“…Mood disturbances are more common postpartum as compared to prepartum or the rate that characterizes women in the general population (O'Hara et al, 2012;Viguera et al, 2011;Wenzel et al, 2005). Moreover, they are a precursor to more serious postnatal mood disorders and potentially deleterious maternal or infant health outcomes (Raes et al, 2014;Glasheen, Richardson, & Fabio, 2010;Grace, Evindar, & Stewart, 2003). Undesirable emotions relating to infant feeding may exacerbate these relationships.…”

Repetitive Negative Thinking and Its Role in Perinatal Mental Health

“…For example, Barnum et al [25] found that levels of rumination (brooding) predicted increases in depression symptoms from the third trimester to 8 weeks (but not 4 weeks) post-partum. Raes et al [26] reported that rumination did not predict levels of post-partum depression at 12 or 24 weeks when baseline depression and history of depression were controlled. In other studies, a more complex picture has emerged – suggesting that rumination is predictive of depression (in pregnant women at high risk of becoming depressed) but only in combination with other factors (e.g., social functioning [27]).…”

Exploration of the Associations Between Responses to Affective States and Psychopathology in Two Samples of People Confronted With the Loss of a Loved One

“…Several studies using the RPA in nonclinical samples found that positive affect regulation strategies are related to depression scores above and beyond brooding, concurrently (Raes et al, 2009) as well as prospectively (Raes et al, 2012(Raes et al, , 2014. Although it has been suggested that strategies to regulate positive emotions are likely involved in recovery from loss (Folkman, 2001;Stroebe and Schut, 2001), to the best of our knowledge, this notion has never been empirically tested.…”