Psychological well-being and depression from pregnancy to postpartum among primiparous and multiparous women

Abstract

Background: The bulk of research on motherhood has focused on perinatal depression, largely overlooking indicators of women’s positive mental health which can likewise have pervasive consequences on family functioning.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to address this issue by exploring the impact of parity and childbirth on both women’s perinatal depression and psychological well-being.

Methods: A convenience sample of 81 women was followed during pregnancy (Time 1) and postpartum (Time 2). At both times, participants completed the Edinburgh Depression Scale and the Psychological Well-being Scales, measuring perceived autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations, purpose in life, and self-acceptance.

Results: Significant negative correlations were observed between depression and psychological well-being dimensions. ANCOVA and mixed ANOVA analyses showed that depression levels did not differ between primiparous and multiparous women, or between pre- and postpartum assessments. By contrast, after childbirth, primiparous women reported higher values of environmental mastery and self-acceptance than multiparous women. In addition, levels of self-acceptance and personal growth increased from pregnancy to postpartum among primiparous women, while no differences were detected over time in the scores of all the psychological well-being dimensions among multiparous women.

Conclusions: This study highlighted some dimensions of positive psychological functioning that specifically contribute to women’s well-being in the transition to motherhood, and their different relevance for primiparous and multiparous mothers. Future trials are needed to integrate this information in tailored intervention for the promotion of mothers’ complete mental health.

Keywords:

• Depression
• mental health
• parity
• pregnancy
• postpartum
• psychological well-being

Notes

1. Throughout the paper, we use the term ‘primiparous’ to refer to those women who were pregnant – and thus still nulliparous – at Time 1 and had given birth to one child at Time 2.

2. Consequently, the nomenclature of the questionnaire was changed from Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale to Edinburgh Depression Scale (Cox et al., 1996).