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Comorbid anxiety and depression: a community-based study examining symptomology and correlates during the postpartum period

Ramakrishna, Sandhya; Cooklin, Amanda; Leach, Liana

Description

Background: Despite indications that anxiety and depression co-occur frequently within the postpartum period, studies identifying the correlates associated with this comorbidity are rare. Objective: This study assessed variation in social and maternal circumstances, based on comorbid anxiety and depression symptomology. Methods: A large community-based sample of 1070 Australian postpartum women completed the Living with a Young Baby online survey. Mothers were categorised into groups: (a)...[Show more]

dc.contributor.authorRamakrishna, Sandhya
dc.contributor.authorCooklin, Amanda
dc.contributor.authorLeach, Liana
dc.date.accessioned2019-10-30T04:40:37Z
dc.identifier.citationSandhya Ramakrishna, Amanda R. Cooklin & Liana S. Leach (2019): Comorbid anxiety and depression: a community-based study examining symptomology and correlates during the postpartum period, Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, DOI: 10.1080/02646838.2019.1578870
dc.identifier.issn0264-6838
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1885/180635
dc.description.abstractBackground: Despite indications that anxiety and depression co-occur frequently within the postpartum period, studies identifying the correlates associated with this comorbidity are rare. Objective: This study assessed variation in social and maternal circumstances, based on comorbid anxiety and depression symptomology. Methods: A large community-based sample of 1070 Australian postpartum women completed the Living with a Young Baby online survey. Mothers were categorised into groups: (a) comorbid anxiety and depression symptomology, (b) anxiety only, (c) depression only, or (d) neither depression nor anxiety. Multinomial Logistic Regression (MLR) investigated variation in correlates between the groups. Results: Comorbid anxiety and depression symptomology was common (13.4%), and was associated with greater symptom severity. Women in the ‘comorbid’ group more often experienced financial hardship, cessation of breastfeeding, infants with difficult temperaments, inadequate social support or help, and stressful adverse life events in comparison to mothers in the ‘neither symptomology’ group. They were also more likely to have infants with difficult temperaments compared to the depression only group, and to receive inadequate help and support compared to the anxiety only group. Conclusions: Comorbid anxiety and depression symptomology is common postpartum and is associated with considerable adversity across a wide range of demographic, economic and social correlates. Abbreviations: EPDS: Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale; STAI: State-Trait Anxiety Inventory; MLR: Multiple Logistic Regression; LYBS: Living with a Young Baby Survey; LSAC: Longitudinal Study of Australian Children; STSI: Short Temperament Scale for Infants; ANOVA: Analysis of Variance; M: Mean; SD: Standard Deviation; CI: Confidence Interval; OR: Odds Ratio
dc.description.sponsorshipLL was funded by an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Early Career Fellowship #1035803. AC is supported by the Roberta Holmes Transition to Contemporary Parenthood Program, Judith Lumley Centre, La Trobe University. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.language.isoen_AU
dc.publisherRoutledge, Taylor & Francis Group
dc.rights© 2019 Society for Reproductive and Infant Psychology
dc.sourceJournal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology
dc.titleComorbid anxiety and depression: a community-based study examining symptomology and correlates during the postpartum period
dc.typeJournal article
local.description.notesImported from ARIES
local.identifier.citationvolume37
dcterms.dateAccepted2018-10-21
dc.date.issued2019-02-20
local.identifier.absfor111707 - Family Care
local.identifier.ariespublicationU1070655xPUB57
local.publisher.urlhttps://www.tandfonline.com
local.type.statusAccepted Version
local.contributor.affiliationRamakrishna, Sandhya, College of Health and Medicine, ANU
local.contributor.affiliationCooklin, Amanda, La Trobe University
local.contributor.affiliationLeach, Liana, College of Health and Medicine, ANU
dc.relationhttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1035803
local.bibliographicCitation.issue5
local.bibliographicCitation.startpage468
local.bibliographicCitation.lastpage479
local.identifier.doi10.1080/02646838.2019.1578870
local.identifier.absseo920410 - Mental Health
dc.date.updated2019-12-19T06:58:30Z
local.identifier.scopusID2-s2.0-85073420846
dcterms.accessRightsOpen Access
dc.provenancehttp://sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/issn/0264-6838/..."author can archive post-print (ie final draft post-refereeing). On institutional repository, subject-based repository or academic social network (Mendeley, ResearchGate or Academia.edu) after 12 months embargo" from SHERPA/RoMEO site (as at 12/11/19).
CollectionsANU Research Publications

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