Prevalence, onset and comorbidity of postpartum anxiety and depressive disorders

OBJECTIVE

The study presents data on the 3-month prevalences of postpartum anxiety disorders (PAD) and postpartum depressive disorders (PDD) and their comorbidity in a German community sample. Associations with sociodemographic variables and previous history of psychopathology were analysed.

METHOD

Data were gathered in a longitudinal study over the first 3 months postpartum. In a two-stage screening procedure, a population-based representative sample of 1024 postpartum women was assessed for symptoms of anxiety and depression using DSM-IV-based screening instruments.

RESULTS

The estimated rates of DSM-IV disorders were 11.1% for PAD and 6.1% for PDD. Comorbidity was found in 2.1%. The rate for PAD with postpartum onset was 2.2% and for PDD 4.6%. Young mothers and mothers with a low education level had a heightened risk of developing depression following delivery.

CONCLUSION

Because of the clinical relevance of PAD, controlled studies and specialized programmes for prevention and treatment are urgently required.

The German version of the Postpartum Bonding Instrument: psychometric properties and association with postpartum depression

BACKGROUND

To date there has been no study investigating mother-infant bonding impairment and its link to pospartum depressive symptoms in a representative German population sample. The present study therefore aimed to carry out initial analyses of the psychometric properties of the German version of the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ).

METHODS

Eight hundred and sixty two mothers provided the data for a principal component analysis of the original 25 item PBQ. This analysis was used to assess the validity of the four scale structure of the questionnaire. Correlations between postpartum depression, sociodemographic variables and bonding impairment were additionally calculated.

FINDINGS

On the basis of our data, the original 4 factor structure of the PBQ scale was not confirmed. Nine items did not meaningfully load onto the single factor accounting for the most variance. Mother-infant bonding impairment and postpartum depression were shown to be significantly positively correlated. According to the factor solution of Brockington we found a 7.1% rate of mothers with bonding impairment two weeks postpartum (with 95% confidence ranging from 5.5 to 9%).

INTERPRETATION

An abridged 16 item German version of the PBQ can be implemented as a reliable screening instrument for bonding impairment.