Antenatal Depressive Symptoms Associated with Specific Life Events and Sources of Social Support Among Italian Women
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Antenatal Depressive Symptoms Associated with Specific Life Events and Sources of Social Support Among Italian Women Francesca Agostini • Erica Neri • Paola Salvatori Sara Dellabartola • Laura Bozicevic • Fiorella Monti
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Ó Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014
Abstract This study aimed to identify different kinds of stressful life events and social support associated with antenatal depressive symptoms in a sample of pregnant Italian women. We conducted the study at a primary healthcare centre in an urban area (northeast Italy). Mainly recruited at antenatal classes, 404 eligible pregnant women completed a socio-demographic questionnaire that included questions about the present pregnancy, the Edinburgh Depression Scale (EDS) to estimate the prevalence of depressive symptoms, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and List of Threatening Experiences Questionnaire to investigate the quality and nature of social support and recent negative life events. Of the 404 women, 60 (14.9 %) scored 13 or higher on the EDS. This group reported significantly lower social support from various sources—family, friends, and significant others; only in primiparous women were depressive symptoms significantly related to lower support from friends. Women with EDS scores equal or higher than 13 also reported a higher occurrence of recent stressful life events—specifically, death or a serious problem with a close friend or relative, unemployment, financial problems, and moving or housing difficulties. Regression analyses showed that women with high levels of social support or with a positive experience of pregnancy were less likely to experience antenatal
F. Agostini (&) E. Neri P. Salvatori S. Dellabartola F. Monti Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Viale Berti Pichat 5, 40127 Bologna, Italy e-mail: [email protected] L. Bozicevic School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Earley Gate, Whiteknights Road, Reading RG6 6AL, UK
depressive symptoms. Our results underscore the associations among antenatal depression, specific life stressors, and low social support from various sources. Clinical attention to these psychosocial correlates is recommended toward detecting vulnerability to antenatal depressive symptoms. Keywords Pregnancy Antenatal depression Stressful life-events Sources of social support Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale
Introduction Defined as spanning pregnancy and the 1st postnatal year [1], the perinatal period is recognized as a sensitive time for a mother’s emotional well-being. It is characterized by hormone-level fluctuations, many physical and psychological changes, and social adjustment to the new parental role [2]. Following these changes, some women experience moderate to severe adjustment difficulties throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period. Depressive symptoms are fairly frequent during the perinatal period, and their estimated prevalence varies 10–20 % in Western countries. They occur during pregnancy, after bir
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