J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc.  1998 Jan;37(1):95-103.

The Relationship between Depressive Tendency in Postpartum Women and Factors such as Infant Temperament, Parentiong Stress and Coping Style

• Lee SH
• Jeon SI
• Kim YM
• Lee JH
• Choi YM
• Lee GC

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
This Study examined the relationship of depressive tendency in postpartum women with psychosocial factors such as infant temperament, parental stress and coping style.
METHODS
The subjects consisted of 105 postpartum women, each of whom had an infant aged 4 to 12 months. They were assessed on demographic variables and on measures of the depressive symptomatology, infant temperament, parental stress and the coping style using Beck Depression Inventory(BDI), the EAS temperamental survey, Parenting Stress Index(PSI), the Way of Coping Checklist(WCC). And then we assessed the relationship of depressive tendency in postpartum women with psychosocial factors.
RESULTS
The results were as follows: 1) Depressive tendency in postpartum women had significant relationship with emotionality(r=.26 p<0.05) and activity(r=.22 p<0.05) of infant temperament. 2) Depressive tendency in postpartum women had significant relationship with parenting stress(r=.44 p<0.001). 3) Depressive tendency in postpartum women had no significant relationship with coping style. 4) Parental stress had significant relationship with emotionality(r=.49 p<0.001) but did not have any relationship with sociability and activity of infant temperament. Parenting stress had no significant relationship with coping style.
CONCLUSION
These results suggest that depressive tendency in postpartum women correlated with emotionality and activity of infant temperament correlated with parenting stress but not correlated with coping style. Infant temperament and parenting stress to child rearing are more significantly correlated with depressive tendency in postpartum women than coping style of postpartum women.

Keyword

Postpartum depression; Infant temperament; Parenting stress; Coping style

MeSH Terms

Child
Child Rearing
Depression
Depression, Postpartum
Female
Humans
Infant*
Parenting
Parents
Postpartum Period*
Psychology
Temperament*