A stress-coping transactional model of low mood following childbirth

The present study was designed to assess whether or not a transactional model of stress could predict low mood following childbirth in a sample of primiparous women. The research used a two-wave longitudinal design--data were collected during the last trimester of pregnancy (n = 306) and at approximately 6 weeks postpartum (n = 223). Depression vulnerability, social support, appraisal and coping style were assessed at Time 1, and concurrent levels of social support, stress and appraisal were assessed at Time 2. The proposed model was generally upheld: High Edinburgh Postnatal Depression scores were predicted by women's predisposition to depression, negative appraisals of an anticipated childcare stressor, perceptions of low antenatal support and a high use of avoidance coping. In addition, a high number of daily hassles reported since the beginning of pregnancy, stressful childcare events, perceptions of low postnatal social support and negative postnatal appraisals contributed to the onset of low postnatal mood. This model extends the utility of the diathesis-stress account of Postnatal Depression (PND) and has important implications for how PND is treated.