Postpartum Depression More Likely In African-American And Low-Income Women

A study by the University of Iowa published in the journal Social
Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology reports that
low-income women in Iowa are much more likely to suffer from postpartum
depression than wealthier women.



University of Iowa psychologist Lisa Segre and colleagues studied 4,332
new mothers from four Iowa counties. The researchers collected
sociodemographic data and the participants completed the Inventory to
Diagnose Depression in the late 1990s. The mothers had given birth an
average of 4.6 months before the survey.



Main findings include:


40 percent of Iowa mothers with a household income less
than $20,000 suffered from clinically significant postpartum
depression
13 percent of new mothers with a household income of $80,000
or more were clinically depressed.

Segre points out that, "forty percent of Iowa's lowest-income mothers
are facing the double burden of being depressed and being poor."



"Women who are poor already have a lot of stress, ranging from poor
living conditions to concerns about paying the bills. The birth of an
infant can represent additional financial and emotional stress, and
depression negatively impacts the woman's ability to cope with these
already difficult circumstances."



Segre and colleagues also studied the link between post-natal
depression and race among Iowans. She found that compared to white
mothers, African-American mothers are more likely to experience
depression after having a baby. However, Latina mothers are not as
likely to experience depressed moods.



For the study on race, researchers used data from the Iowa Barriers to
Prenatal Care Project Survey, which mothers take while they are in the
maternity wards of hospitals in Iowa. Mothers are asked if they felt
sad or miserable during the prior two weeks. In 2001-02, 26,877
English-speaking mothers completed the survey, and the results were
published in the Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology.



Segre writes: "Other research indicates that strong social support can
serve as a buffer against postpartum depression, and that poor social
support is a major predictor of postpartum depression. Past studies
have also shown that Latina mothers tend to have more social support,
while African-American women tend to have weaker support networks." The
author believes that racial differences in the rate of post-natal
depressed moods might be due to these ethnic differences in social
support.



The results of both of Segre's studies suggest that low-income and
African-American women have an increased risk of post-natal depression,
early identification programs are needed. Segre and co-author Michael
O'Hara, a co-author of the studies beginning work to help mothers
suffering from postpartum depression.



Segre and colleagues believe that screening for postpartum depression
is a first step. They have joined with Healthy Start in Des Moines - a
program funded by the federal government that educates and supports
families in communities where the infant mortality rate is above the
national average. Healthy Start is designed to teach caseworkers and
nurses to provide depression screenings for new mothers. In two years,
Segre and O'Hara have trained 31 social workers to screen new mothers
for depression who trained several other people in their own agencies.



Segre and O'Hara are also working with Healthy Start to implement and
evaluate an intervention for depressed mothers called "listening
visits." Mildly to moderately depressed mothers are provided an
opportunity to talk to a trained caseworker or nurse. This program is
similar to the "health visitors" program in the United Kingdom. Mothers
are able to work collaboratively with a professional whom they already
know and trust. This eliminates barriers to mental health treatment
like cost, waiting lists, stigma or lack of providers.



"A listening visitor is not a trained psychologist, but sometimes just
having someone take the time to sit down and take a keen interest in
what's going on with your life is enough," Segre comments. "I'm not
saying the listening visits are the cure-all, but for mild to moderate
depression, they're a good start. And even if women need more treatment
beyond the listening visits, our hope is that the listening visits will

serve as an ice-breaker, helping women feel more comfortable with the
idea of mental health treatment."



The prevalence of postpartum depression: The relative
significance of three social status indices

Lisa S. Segre, Michael W. O'Hara, Stephan Arndt, and Scott
Stuart

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. (2007).
Vol. 42, No. 4: pp. 316-321.

Click
Here for Abstract



Race/ethnicity and perinatal depressed mood

Lisa
S. Segre, Michael W. O'Hara, Mary E. Losch

Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology.
(2006). Vol. 24, No. 2. pp. 99 - 106.

Click
Here for Abstract



Written by: Peter M Crosta