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Maternity Blues

III. Associations with Obstetric, Psychological, and Psychiatric Factors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Helen Kennerley
Affiliation:
Warneford Hospital, Oxford
Dennis Gath*
Affiliation:
University of Oxford
Susan Iles
Affiliation:
University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford
*
Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX

Abstract

One hundred and six women were assessed psychiatrically in the 14–16th and 36–38th weeks of pregnancy and the 12th week after childbirth. They also completed a maternity blues questionnaire daily in the ten days after delivery. Blues scores were significantly associated with: neuroticism; anxiety and depressed mood during pregnancy; fear of labour; poor social adjustment; and retrospective severity of pre-menstrual tension. Blues scores were not associated with obstetric factors, with previous history of psychiatric disorder, or with case status on the PSE in pregnancy or 12 weeks after delivery.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1989 

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