Affective temperaments during pregnancy and postpartum period: a click to hyperthymic temperament

Abstract

Background: Pregnancy and postpartum periods are the main reproductive periods during which women experience mood disorders. Affective temperaments are known antecedents of mood disorders and their importance is increasing in time for early diagnosis and determining risky groups. But data about affective temperaments during perinatal period is limited.

Methods: Women during pregnancy and perinatal period and healthy controls who are not in perinatal period are included in the study. 83 pregnant women in 1st trimester, 94 pregnant women in 2nd trimester and 115 pregnant women in 3rd trimester; 32 women in 1st month postpartum and 89 women in 2nd month postpartum; and 88 healthy non-pregnant women with similar ages were evaluated regarding their temperament evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego auto-questionnaire (TEMPS-A) scores.

Results: Women in perinatal period had higher scores of hyperthymic temperaments than the control group. Women in the 2nd month of postpartum period had also higher anxious temperament scores. And women in the second trimester had the highest hyperthymic temperament scores.

Conclusion: Pregnancy and postpartum periods correlate with hyperthymic temperament characteristics in women without active psychiatric diagnosis. Future studies will help to understand if this is a mental quietness or increased risk for bipolarity.

Chinese abstract

背景：妊娠期与产后期是育龄期女性发生心境障碍的主要时期。情感气质是心境障碍已知的前驱临床表现, 情感气质对于早期诊断和确定风险组越来越重要。但是关于围产期女性情感气质的数据是有限的。

方法：此研究中包括妊娠和围产期女性以及健康的非妊娠女性。83名孕早期女性、94名孕中期女性、115名孕晚期女性；32名产后第1个月女性、89名产后第2个月女性；以及88名相同年龄健康的非妊娠女性。评估她们的情感气质自评量表（temperament evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego auto-questionnaire , TEMPS-A）得分。

结果：围产期女性相比于对照组在情感旺盛上有更高得分。产后第2个月女性在焦虑气质上也有更高得分。孕中期女性在情感旺盛上得分最高。

结论：在没有积极的精神病学诊断的女性中, 妊娠期和产后期女性有情感旺盛特征。进一步的研究将会帮助理解这是一个精神平静或增加双相障碍风险。

Keywords:

• Affective temperaments
• TEMPS-A
• pregnancy
• postpartum
• perinatal

Disclosure statement

Authors declare no conflict of interest for this study.

Current knowledge on the subject

Vulnerability of women to mood disorders, importance of mood disorders during perinatal period, the association between mood disorders and affective temperaments, and difference between third trimester pregnant women and control group in affective temperaments are already known.

What this study adds

This study evaluates all trimesters of pregnant women, and postpartum women and compares with control group. Says: women are more hyperthymic during all perinatal period, risky for anxious and depressive features during postpartum period.