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The role of dysfunctional attitudes towards motherhood in postpartum depressive symptoms and disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

D. Pereira ,
C. Cabaços ,
J. Azevedo ,
S. Xavier ,
M.J. Soares ,
N. Madeira ,
A. Macedo  and
A.T. Pereira
D. Pereira*
Affiliation:
Institute Of Psychological Medicine, Faculty Of Medicine, University of Coimbra, coimbra, Portugal Psychiatry Department, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
C. Cabaços
Affiliation:
Institute Of Psychological Medicine, Faculty Of Medicine, University of Coimbra, coimbra, Portugal Psychiatry Department, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
J. Azevedo
Affiliation:
Institute Of Psychological Medicine, Faculty Of Medicine, University of Coimbra, coimbra, Portugal
S. Xavier
Affiliation:
Institute Of Psychological Medicine, Faculty Of Medicine, University of Coimbra, coimbra, Portugal
M.J. Soares
Affiliation:
Institute Of Psychological Medicine, Faculty Of Medicine, University of Coimbra, coimbra, Portugal
N. Madeira
Affiliation:
Institute Of Psychological Medicine, Faculty Of Medicine, University of Coimbra, coimbra, Portugal Psychiatry Department, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
A. Macedo
Affiliation:
Psychiatry Department, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal Institute Of Psychological Medicine, Faculty Of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
A.T. Pereira
Affiliation:
Institute Of Psychological Medicine, Faculty Of Medicine, University of Coimbra, coimbra, Portugal
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Postpartum depression (PPD) is the commonest postpartum psychiatric condition, with prevalence rates around 20%1. PPD is associated with a range of adverse outcomes for both the mother and infant2. Therefore, identifying modifiable risk factors for perinatal depression is an important public health issue3.

Objectives

To explore the role of dysfunctional attitudes towards motherhood in postpartum depressive symptoms and disorder.

Methods

247 women were evaluated in the third (12.08±4.25 weeks) and sixth months (31.52± 7.16 weeks) postpartum with the Attitudes Towards Motherhood Scale4, the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale5 and the Diagnostic Interview for Psychological Distress-Postpartum6. Correlation analysis was performed followed by linear/logistic regression analysis when the coefficients proved significant (p<.05), using SPSS.

Results

Dysfunctional beliefs towards motherhood concerning judgement by others and maternal responsibility positively correlated with depressive symptoms at the third (.528; .406) and the sixth months (.506; .492) postpartum. Those dysfunctional beliefs were predictors of depressive symptoms at the third (ß=.440; ß=.151) and sixth months (ß=.322; ß.241) explaining 29.4% and 30.2% of its variance, respectively. Having dysfunctional beliefs at the third month significantly increase the likelihood of being diagnosed with Major Depression (DSM5) both in the third (Wald=9.992, OR=1.169; Wald=16.729, OR=1.231) and sixth months (Wald=5.638, OR=1.203; Wald=7.638, OR=1.301) (all p<.01).

Conclusions

Cognitive distortions should be included in the assessment of risk factors for PPD. Early identification of women presenting motherhood-specific cognitive biases may be crucial for implementing preventive interventions favoring a more positive and healthier motherhood experience.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Keywords

dysfunctional attitudes towards motherhoodperinatalpostpartum depressive disorder
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 64 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 29th European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2021 , pp. S181
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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