Life Stress as a Risk Factor for Postpartum Depression: Current Research and Methodological Issues

Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice

Volumn 7, Issue 1, 2000, Pages 17-31

  Swendsen, Joel D ^a   Mazure, Carolyn M ^b  

^a UNIVERSITÉ DE BORDEAUX   (France)

^b YALE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE   (United States)

Author keywords

Postpartum depression; Stress; Vulnerability

Indexed keywords

EID: 0001899933     PISSN: 09695893     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1093/clipsy.7.1.17     Document Type: Article

References (97)

1. Abramson, L., Seligman, M., & Teasdale, J. (1978). Learned helplessness in humans: Critique and reformulation. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 87, 49-74.
2. Adrian, C., & Hammen, C. (1993). Stress exposure and stress generation in children of depressed mothers. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61, 354-359.
3. Alloy, L. B., Hartlage, S., & Abramson, L. (1988). Testing the cognitive diathesis-stress theories of depression: Issues of research design, conceptualization and assessment. In L. B. Alloy (Ed.), Cognitive processes in depression (pp. 510-518). New York: Guilford Press.
4. Aneshensel, C. S., & Stone, J. D. (1982). Stress and depression: A test of the buffering model of social support. Archives of General Psychiatry, 39, 1392-1396.
5. Areias, M. E. G., Kumar, R., Barros, H., & Figueiredo, E. (1996). Correlates of postnatal depression in mothers and fathers. British Journal of Psychiatry, 169, 36-41.
6. Augusto, A., Kumar, R., Calheiros, J. M., Matos, E., & Figueiredo, E. (1996). Post-natal depression in an urban area of Portugal: Comparison of childbearing women and matched controls. Psychological Medicine, 26, 135-141.
7. Barnet, B., Joffe, A., Duggan, A. K., Wilson, M. D., & Repke, J. T. (1996). Depressive symptoms, stress, and social support in pregnant and postpartum adolescents. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 150, 64-69.
8. Bebbington, P. E., Tennant, C., & Hurry, J. (1981). Adversity and the nature of psychiatric disorder in the community, Journal of Affective Disorders, 3, 345-366.
9. Beck, C. T. (1996a). The effects of postpartum depression on maternal-infant interaction: A meta-analysis. Nursing Research, 44, 298-304.
10. Beck, C. T. (1996b). A meta-analysis of the relationship between postpartum depression and infant temperament. Nursing Research, 45, 225-230.
11. Bidzinska, E. J. (1984). Stress factors in affective diseases. British Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 161-166.
12. Billings, A. G., Cronkite, R. C., & Moos, R. M. (1983). Social-environmental factors in unipolar depression: Comparisons of depressed patients and nondepressed controls. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 92, 119-133.
13. Billings, A. G., & Moos, R. H. (1984). Coping, stress, and social resources. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46, 877-891.
14. Bolger, N. DeLongis, A., Kessler, R. C., & Schilling, E. A. (1989). Effects of daily stress on negative mood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 808-818.
15. Boyce, P. M., & Todd, A. L. (1992). Increased risk of postnatal depression after emergency cesarean section. Medical Journal of Australia, 157, 172-174.
16. Brown, G. W., Andrews, B., Harris, T. O., Adler, Z., & Bridge, L. (1986). Social support, self-esteem and depression. Psychological Medicine, 16, 813-831.
17. Brown, G. W., & Harris, T. O. (1978). The social origins of depression. New York: Free Press.
18. Brown, G. W., & Harris, T. O. (1989). Life events and illness. New York: Guilford Press.
19. Campbell, S. B., & Cohn, J. F. (1991). Prevalence and correlates of postpartum depression in first-time mothers. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100, 594-599.
20. Collins, N. L., Dunkel-Schetter, C., Lobel, M., & Scrimshaw, S. C. M. (1993). Social support in pregnancy: Psychosocial correlates of birth outcomes and postpartum depression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 1243-1258.
21. Cooper, P. J., & Murray, L. (1995). Course and recurrence of postnatal depression: Evidence for the specificity of the diagnostic concept. British Journal of Psychiatry, 166, 191-195.
22. Coyne, J. C., & Downey, G. (1991). Social factors in psychopathology. Annual Review of Psychology, 42, 401-425.
23. Coyne, J. C., & Whiffen, V. E. (1995). Issues in personality as diathesis for depression: The case for sociotropy-dependency and autonomy-self-criticism. Psychological Bulletin, 118, 358-378.
24. Cummins, R. (1990). Social insecurity, anxiety, and stressful events as antecedents of depressive symptoms. Behavioral Medicine, 16, 161-164.
25. Cutrona, C. (1983). Causal attributions and perinatal depression. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 92, 161-172.
26. Cutrona, C. (1984).-Social support and stress in the transition to parenthood. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 93, 378-390.
27. Cutrona, C. E., & Troutman, B. R. (1986). Social support, infant temperament, and parenting self-efficacy: A mediational model of postpartum depression. Child Development, 57, 1507-1518.
28. Demyttenaere, K., Lenaerts, H., Nijs, P., & Van Assche, F. A. (1995). Individuals coping style and psychological attitudes during pregnancy predict depression levels during pregnancy and during postpartum. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 91, 95-102.
29. Dohrenwend, B. P., Shrout, P. E., Link, B. G., Skodol, A. E., & Martin, J. L. (1986). Overview and initial results from a risk factor study of depression and schizophrenia. InJ. E. Barrett (Ed.), Mental disorders in the community: Progress and challenge (pp. 184-215). New York: Guilford Press.
30. Faravelli, C., & Ambonetti, A. (1983). Assessment of life events in depressive disorders: A comparison of three methods. Social Psychiatry, 18, 51-56.
31. Fava, G. A., Munari, F., Pavan, L., & Kellner, R. (1981). Life events and depression: A replication. Journal of Affective Disorders, 3, 159-165.
32. Field, T. M. (1984). Early interactions between infants and their postpartum depressed mothers. Infant Behavior and Development, 7, 527-532.
33. Flaherty, J. A., Gaviria, F. M., Black, E. M., Altman, E., & Mitchell, T. (1983). The role of social support in the functioning of patients with unipolar depression. American Journal of Psychiatry, 140, 473-476.
34. Gotlib, I. H., Whiffen, V. E., Mount, J. H., Milne, K., & Cordy, N. I. (1989). Prevalence rates and demographic characteristics associated with depression in pregnancy and the postpartum. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57, 269-274.
35. Gotlib, I. H., Whiffen, V. E., Wallace, P. M., & Mount, J. H. (1991). Prospective investigation of postpartum depression: Factors involved in onset and recovery. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100, 122-132.
36. Grossman, F. K., Eichler, L. S., & Winickoff, S. A. (1980). Pregnancy, birth, and parenthood. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
37. Hall, L. A., Kotch, J. B., Browne, D., & Rayens, M. K. (1996). Self-esteem as a mediator of the effects of Stressors and social resources on depressive symptoms in postpartum mothers. Nursing Research, 45, 231-238.
38. Hammen, C. (1991). The generation of stress in the course of unipolar depression. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100, 555-561.
39. Hammen, C. (1995). Stress and the course of unipolar and bipolar disorders. In C. M. Mazure (Ed.), Does stress cause psychiatric illness? (pp. 87-110). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.
40. Hobfoll, S. E., Ritter, C., Lavin, J., Hulsizer, M. R., & Cameron, R. P. (1995). Depression prevalence and incidence among inner-city pregnant and postpartum women. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 63, 445-453.
41. Holahan, C., Holahan, C., & Belk, S. (1984). Adjustment in aging: The roles of life stress, hassles, and self-efficacy. Health Psychology, 3, 315-328.
42. Hopkins, J., Campbell, S. B., & Marcus, M. (1987). Role of infant-related stressors in postpartum depression. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 96, 237-241.
43. Hopkins, J., Campbell, S. B., & Marcus, M. (1989). Postpartum depression and postpartum adaptation: Overlapping constructs? Journal of Affective Disorders, 17, 251-254.
44. Hopkins, J., Marcus, M., & Campbell, S. B. (1984). Postpartum depression: A critical review. Psychological Bulletin, 95, 498-515.
45. Kendler, K. S., Kessler, R. C., Neale, M. C., Heath, A. C., & Eaves, L. J. (1993). The prediction of major depression in women: Toward an integrated etiologic model. American Journal of Psychiatry, 150, 1139-1148.
46. Kendler, K. S., Kessler, R. C., Walters, E. E., MacLean, C., Neale, M. C., Heath, A. C., & Eaves, L. J. (1995). Stressful life events, genetic liability, and onset of an episode of major depression in women. American Journal of Psychiatry, 152, 833-842.
47. Kessler, R. C. (1979). Stress, social status, and psychological distress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 20, 259-272.
48. Kessler, R. C., McGonagle, K. A., Zhao, S., Nelson, C. B., Hughes, M., Eshleman, M. A., Wittchen, H.-U., & Kendler, K. S. (1994). Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of DSM-III-R psychiatric disorders in the United States: Results from the National Comorbidity Survey. Archives of General Psychiatry, 51, 8-19.
49. Keverne, E. B., & Kendrick, K. M. (1992). Oxytocin facilitation of maternal behavior in sheep. In C. A. Pedersen, J. D. Caldwell, G. F. Jirikowski, & T. R. Insel (Eds.), Oxytocin in maternal, sexual, and social behaviors (pp. 83-101). New York: New York Academy of Sciences.
50. Kohn, P., Lafreniere, K., & Gurevich, M. (1991). Hassles, health, and personality. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 478-482.
51. Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York: Springer.
52. Lee, C. M., & Gotlib, I. H. (1991). Adjustment of children of depressed mothers: A 10-month follow-up. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100, 473-477.
53. Logsdon, M. C., McBride, A. B., & Birkimer, J. C. (1994). Social support and postpartum depression. Research in Nursing and Health, 17, 449-457.
54. Manly, P. C., McMahon, R. B., Bradley, C. F., & Davidson, P. O. (1982). Depressive attributional style and depression following childbirth. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 91, 245-254.
55. Marks, M. N., Wieck, A., Checkley, S. A., & Kumar, R. (1992). Contribution of psychological and social factors to psychotic and non-psychotic relapse after childbirth in women with previous histories of affective disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders, 29, 253-264.
56. Martin, C. J., Brown, G. W., Goldberg, D. P., & Brockington, I. F. (1989). Psycho-social stress and puerperal depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 16, 283-293.
57. Mazure, C. M. (1998). Life Stressors as risk factors in depression. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 5, 291-313.
58. Mazure, C. M., & Druss, B. G. (1995). A historical perspective on stress and psychiatric illness. In C. M. Mazure (Ed.), Does stress cause psychiatric illness? (pp. 1-41). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.
59. Merchant, DC, Affonso, D.D., & Mayberry, L.J. (1995). Influence of marital relationship and child-care stress on maternal depression symptoms in the postpartum. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 16, 193-200.
60. Monroe, S. M., & Simons, A. D. (1991). Diathesis-stress theories the context of life stress research: Implications for the depressive disorders. Psychological Bulletin, 110, 406-425.
61. Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (1990). Sex differences in depression. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
62. O'Hara, M. W. (1986). Social support, life events, and depression during pregnancy and the puerperium. Archives of General Psychiatry, 43, 569-573.
63. O'Hara, M. W. (1987). Post-partum "blues", depression, and psychosis: A review. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 7, 205-227.
64. O'Hara, M. W., Neunaber, D. J., & Zekoski, E. M. (1984). Prospective study of postpartum depression: Prevalence, course, and predictive factors. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 93, 158-171.
65. O'Hara, M. W., Rehm, L. P., & Campbell, S. B. (1982). Predicting depressive symptomatology: Cognitive-behavioral models and postpartum depression. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 91, 457-461.
66. O'Hara, M. W., Rehm, L. P., & Campbell, S. B. (1983). Postpartum depression: A role for social network and life stress variables. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 171, 336-341.
67. O'Hara, M. W., Schlechte, J. A., Lewis, D. A., & Varner, M. W. (1991). Controlled prospective study of postpartum mood disorders: Psychological, environmental, and hormonal variables. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100, 63-73.
68. O'Hara, M. W., Schlechte, J. A., Lewis, D. A., & Wright, E. J (1991). Prospective study of postpartum blues: Biological and psychosocial factors. Archives of General Psychiatry, 48, 801-806.
69. O'Hara, M. W, & Swain, A. M. (1996). Rates and risk of postpartum depression-a meta-analysis. International Review of Psychiatry, 8, 37-54.
70. O'Hara, M. W., & Zekoski, E. M. (1988). Postpartum depression: A comprehensive review. In R. Kumar & I. F. Brockington (Eds.), Motherhood and mental illness (pp. 17-63). London: Wright.
71. O'Hara, M. W., Zekoski, E. M., Philipps, L. H., & Wright, E. J. (1990). Controlled prospective study of postpartum mood disorders: Comparison of childbearing and nonchildbearing women. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 99, 3-15.
72. Panzarine, S., Slater, E., & Sharps, P. (1995). Coping, social support, and depressive symptoms in adolescent mothers. Journal of Adolescent Health, 17, 113-119.
73. Parry, G., & Shapiro, D. A. (1986). Social support and life events in working class women: Stress buffering or independent effects? Archives of General Psychiatry, 43, 315-323.
74. Paykel, E. S., & Cooper, Z. (1992). Life events and social stress. In E. S. Paykel (Ed.), Handbook of affective disorders (pp. 149-170). New York: Guilford Press.
75. Paykel, E. S., Emms, E. M., Fletcher, J., & Rassaby, E. S. (1980). Life events and social support in puerperal depression. British Journal of Psychiatry, 136, 339-346.
76. Pfaff, D. W., & Schwartz-Giblin, S. (1988). Cellular mechanisms of female reproductive behaviors. In E. Knobil & J. Neill (Eds.), The physiology of reproduction (pp. 1487-1568). New York: Raven Press.
77. Post, R. M. (1992). Transduction of psychosocial stress into the neurobiology of recurrent affective disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 149, 999-1010.
78. Roy, A., Breier, A., Doran, A. R., & Pickar, D. (1985). Life events in depression: Relationships to subtypes. Journal of Affective Disorders, 9, 143-148.
79. Saks, D. R., Frank, J. B., Lowe, T. L., Berman, W., Naftolin, E, & Cohen, D. J. (1985). Depressed mood during pregnancy and the puerperium: Clinical recognition and implications for clinical practice. American Journal of Psychiatry, 142, 728-730.
80. Shrout, P. E., Link, B. G., Dohrenwend, B. P., Skodol, A. E., Stueve, A., & Mirotznik, J. (1989). Characterizing life events as risk factors for depression: The role of fateful loss events. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 95, 460-467.
81. Spitzer, R. L., Endicott, J., & Robbins, E. (1978). Research diagnostic criteria: Rationale and reliability. Archives of General Psychiatry, 35, 773-782.
82. Surtees, P. G. (1980). Social support, residual adversity and depressive outcome. Social Psychiatry, 15, 71-80.
83. Terry, D. J. (1992). Transition to parenthood. In P. C. L. Heaven (Ed.), Psychological bases of human development (pp. 184-211), Sydney: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
84. Terry, D. J., Mayocchi, L., & Hynes, G. J. (1996). Depressive symptomatology in new mothers: A stress and coping perspective. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 105, 220-231.
85. Troutman, B. R., & Cutrona, C. E. (1990). Nonpsychotic postpartum depression among adolescent mothers. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 99, 69-78.
86. Vadher, A., & Ndetei, D. M. (1981). Life events and depression in a Kenyan setting. British Journal of Psychiatry, 139, 134-137.
87. Warner, R., Appleby, L., Whitton, A., & Faragher, B. (1996). Demographic and obstetric risk factors for postnatal depression. British Journal of Psychiatry, 168, 607-611.
88. Watson, J. P., Elliott, S. A., Rugg, A. J., & Brough, D. I. (1984). Psychiatric disorder in pregnancy and the first postnatal year. British Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 453-462.
89. Webster, M. L., Thompson, J. M. D., Mitchell, E. A., & Werry, J. S. (1994). Postnatal depression in a community cohort. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 28, 42-49.
90. Weinberg, M. K., & Tronick, E. Z. (1998). The impact of maternal psychiatric illness on infant development. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 59, 53-61.
91. Whiffen, V. E. (1988). Vulnerability to postpartum depression: A prospective multivariate study. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 97, 467-474.
92. Whiffen, V. E. (1992). Is post-partum depression a distinct diagnosis? Clinical Psychology Review, 12, 485-508.
93. Whiffen, V. E., & Gotlib, I. H. (1989). Infants of postpartum depressed mothers: Temperament and cognitive status. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 98, 274-279.
94. Wickberg, B., & Hwang, C. P. (1997). Screening for postnatal depression in a population-based Swedish sample. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 95, 62-66.
95. Williams, A. W., Ware, J. E., & Donald, C. A. (1981). A model of mental health, life events, and social supports applicable to general populations. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 22, 324-336.
96. Yalom, I. D., Lunde, D. T., Moos, R. H., & Hamburg, D. A. (1968). "Postpartum blues" syndrome. Archives of General Psychiatry, 18, 16-27.
97. Zautra, A., Guarnaccia, C., & Reich, J. (1989). The effects of daily life events on negative affective states. In P. Kendall & D. Watson (Eds.), Anxiety and depression: Distinctive and overlapping features (pp. 225-251). New York: Academic Press.