A Longitudinal Study of Women's Depression Symptom Profiles During and After the Postpartum Phase
Publication Date
4-6-2018
Document Type
Article
Organizational Units
College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, Psychology
Keywords
Classification, Diagnosis, Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, Postpartum depression, Prospective studies, Psychiatric diagnosis, Statistical factor analysis, Symptom cluster, Women's health
Abstract
Background
An issue of critical importance for psychiatry and women's health is whether postpartum depression (PPD) represents a unique condition. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders asserts that major depressive disorder (MDD) may present with peripartum onset, without suggesting any other differences between MDD and PPD. The absence of any distinct features calls into question the nosologic validity of PPD as a diagnostic category. The present study investigates whether symptom profiles differ between PPD and depression occurring outside the postpartum phase.
Methods
In a prospective, longitudinal study of parturient women (N = 239), we examine the manifestation of depression symptoms. We assess factor structure of symptom profiles, and whether factors are differentially pronounced during and after the postpartum period.
Results
Factors were revealed representing: Worry, Emotional/Circadian/Energetic Dysregulation, Somatic/Cognitive, Appetite, Distress Display, and Anger symptoms. The factor structure was validated at postpartum and after‐postpartum timepoints. Interestingly, the Worry factor, comprising anxiety and guilt, was significantly more pronounced during the postpartum timepoint, and the Emotional/Circadian/Energetic Dysregulation factor, which contained sadness and anhedonia, was significantly less pronounced during the postpartum period.
Conclusions
These results suggest that PPD may be a unique syndrome, necessitating research, diagnosis, and treatment strategies distinct from those for MDD. Results indicate the possibility that Worry is an enhanced feature of PPD compared to depression outside the postpartum period, and the crucial role of sadness/anhedonia in MDD diagnosis may be less applicable to PPD diagnosis.
Copyright Date
4-6-2018
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
All Rights Reserved.
Rights Holder
Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Provenance
Received from CHORUS
Language
English (eng)
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. User is responsible for all copyright compliance. This article was originally published as:
Fox, M., Sandman, C. A., Davis, E. P., & Glynn, L. M. (2018). A longitudinal study of women's depression symptom profiles during and after the postpartum phase. Depression and Anxiety, 35(4), 292-304. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22719
Accepted Manuscript is openly available through the "Link to Full Text" button.
The published Version of Record is available at libraries through Compass or Worldcat.
Publication Title
Depression and Anxiety
Volume
35
Issue
4
First Page
292
Last Page
304
ISSN
1520-6394
PubMed ID
29394510
Recommended Citation
Fox, M., Sandman, C. A., Davis, E. P., & Glynn, L. M. (2018). A longitudinal study of women's depression symptom profiles during and after the postpartum phase. Depression and Anxiety, 35(4), 292-304. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22719