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Brym S, Mack JT, Weise V, Kopp M, Steudte-Schmiedgen S, Garthus-Niegel S. Mental health of working parents during the COVID-19 pandemic: can resilience buffer the impact of psychosocial work stress on depressive symptoms? BMC Public Health 2022; 22:2426. [PMID: 36567325 PMCID: PMC9790816 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-14582-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic has confronted working parents with an accumulation of stressors regarding changes in work, family, and social life, putting their mental health at risk. Stressors include altered working conditions such as working from home or changes in working hours as well as the difficulty to reconcile work and childcare due to the closure of childcare facilities. The present study examined the relationship of psychosocial work stress (i.e., work-privacy conflict and effort-reward imbalance at work) and depressive symptoms in working parents and whether this association was moderated by individual resilience. METHODS Data of the present study (n = 452) were collected in Germany between May and June 2020 as part of the DREAMCORONA study. A subsample of working mothers (n = 191) and fathers (n = 261) completed the subscale for work-privacy conflict (WPC) of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire, the Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) Questionnaire, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Multiple linear regression analyses including moderation were performed, controlling for gender, working hours per week, and a lifetime history of depression as potential confounders. RESULTS Both WPC (β = 0.336, p < .001) and ERI (β = 0.254, p < .001) were significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Resilience moderated the relationship between ERI and depressive symptoms (β = - 0.101, p = .018), indicating that higher resilience weakened the relationship. However, this effect was not found regarding the relationship between WPC and depressive symptoms (β = 0.055, p = .167). CONCLUSIONS The results highlight the need for measures to reduce psychosocial work stressors such as WPC and ERI during the COVID-19 pandemic on the one hand and to promote resilience on the other hand. The findings partially support the potential protective role of resilience buffering the association between psychosocial stress and mental health in working parents. Longitudinal studies are needed to confirm this effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Brym
- grid.4488.00000 0001 2111 7257Institute and Policlinic of Occupational and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Judith T. Mack
- grid.4488.00000 0001 2111 7257Institute and Policlinic of Occupational and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Victoria Weise
- grid.4488.00000 0001 2111 7257Institute and Policlinic of Occupational and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Marie Kopp
- grid.4488.00000 0001 2111 7257Institute and Policlinic of Occupational and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Susann Steudte-Schmiedgen
- grid.4488.00000 0001 2111 7257Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Susan Garthus-Niegel
- grid.4488.00000 0001 2111 7257Institute and Policlinic of Occupational and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany ,grid.4488.00000 0001 2111 7257Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307 Dresden, Germany ,grid.461732.5Institute for Systems Medicine and Faculty of Human Medicine, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany ,grid.418193.60000 0001 1541 4204Department of Childhood and Families, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
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Brantsæter AL, Garthus-Niegel S, Brandlistuen RE, Caspersen IH, Meltzer HM, Abel MH. Mild-to-moderate iodine deficiency and symptoms of emotional distress and depression in pregnancy and six months postpartum - Results from a large pregnancy cohort. J Affect Disord 2022; 318:347-356. [PMID: 36096375 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The relationship between iodine intake and depression is unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether iodine intake was associated with symptoms of perinatal emotional distress and depression in a mild- to moderately iodine deficient population. METHODS The study population comprised 67,812 women with 77,927 pregnancies participating in the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study. Self-reported emotional distress and depressive symptoms were reported in pregnancy and at six months postpartum. Iodine intake was assessed by a food frequency questionnaire in mid-pregnancy. Urinary iodine concentration (UIC) was available for 2792 pregnancies. RESULTS The median iodine intake from food was 121 μg/day and the median UIC was 68 μg/L. The prevalence of high scores for emotional distress was 6.6 % in pregnancy and 5.8 % six months postpartum, and for high scores on postpartum depression it was 10.3 %. In non-users of iodine supplements (63 %), a low maternal iodine intake from food (lower than ~100-150 μg/day) was associated with increased risk of high scores of emotional distress and depression both in pregnancy and six months postpartum (p < 0.001). Iodine supplement use was associated with increased risk of high scores of emotional distress in pregnancy compared to no supplement use or use of supplements without iodine. LIMITATIONS Observational design, self-report information, and short scales to assess symptoms of emotional distress and depression. CONCLUSION A low habitual iodine intake was associated with increased prevalence of perinatal emotional distress and depression. The potential non-beneficial effect of iodine supplements may have biological explanations. More studies are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Lise Brantsæter
- Division of Climate and Environmental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
| | - Susan Garthus-Niegel
- Department of Child Health and Development, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway; Institute for Systems Medicine (ISM) and Faculty of Medicine, Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany; Institute and Policlinic of Occupational and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | | | | | - Helle Margrete Meltzer
- Division of Climate and Environmental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Marianne Hope Abel
- Department of Physical Health and Ageing, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
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Bánovčinová Ľ, Škodová Z. The effect of perceived stress and postpartum partner support on postpartum depression. CENTRAL EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NURSING AND MIDWIFERY 2022. [DOI: 10.15452/cejnm.2022.13.0010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
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Asselmann E, Garthus-Niegel S, Knappe S, Martini J. Physical and mental health changes in the five years before and five years after childbirth: A population-based panel study in first-time mothers and fathers from Germany. J Affect Disord 2022; 301:138-144. [PMID: 35032504 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.01.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The transition to parenthood is characterized by far-reaching changes in life. However, little prospective-longitudinal evidence from general population samples exists on changes of general physical and mental health in the years around the birth of a child among mothers and fathers. METHODS Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP), this study examined continuous and discontinuous short- and long-term changes of general physical and mental health from five years before until five years after the birth of the first child in women (N = 1,912) and men (N = 1,742). Whether a child was born was assessed annually throughout the study. Physical and mental health was assessed biannually from 2002 to 2018 with the SF-12v2. RESULTS Multilevel analyses revealed that women experienced a considerable decrease of physical health during pregnancy, which remitted after delivery. On average, women's mental health increased in the last year before and first year after delivery. These mental health improvements were stronger in older vs. younger mothers and remained largely stable in the years after childbirth. In contrast, little evidence for changes of general physical or mental health in (expectant) fathers was found. LIMITATIONS Physical and mental health was assessed with a short questionnaire only (SF-12v2). CONCLUSIONS On average, women's mental health tends to improve before and after the birth of the first child. Men seem to be much less affected by the birth of a child than many previous studies suggest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Asselmann
- Department of Psychology, HMU Health and Medical University, Olympischer Weg 1, Potsdam, Germany.
| | - Susan Garthus-Niegel
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany; Institute and Policlinic of Occupational and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany; Department of Child Health and Development, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Susanne Knappe
- Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany; Evangelische Hochschule Dresden (ehs), University of Applied Sciences for Social Work, Education and Nursing, Dresden Germany
| | - Julia Martini
- Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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Differential predictors of birth-related posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in mothers and fathers - A longitudinal cohort study. J Affect Disord 2021; 292:121-130. [PMID: 34118611 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.05.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Revised: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Evidence on risk factors of birth-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in mothers is increasing, whereas fathers are less examined. This study aims to determine differential predictors of PTSD symptoms in mothers and fathers. METHODS Data derive from the DREAM study, including 1,146 mothers and 828 fathers. We assessed mental health, work, and sociodemographic factors during pregnancy, pregnancy- and birth-related factors, and birth-related PTSD symptoms using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised 8 weeks postpartum. Structural equation models were estimated to examine associations between predictors and latent factors of PTSD symptoms for mothers and fathers simultaneously. Scaled chi-square difference tests were used to investigate differences between both groups in predictors. RESULTS Clinically relevant birth-related PTSD symptoms were found in 2.3% of mothers and 0.7% of fathers. Depressive and anxiety symptoms, pregnancy complications, and poorer subjective birth experience predicted PTSD symptoms in both groups. Additionally, lower support during birth and an unplanned cesarean section predicted PTSD symptoms in mothers, whereas lower job satisfaction, higher job burden, being first-time father, lower education, and mothers' lower support during birth were predictors for fathers. We found significant differences between groups regarding job burden during pregnancy, support during birth, and an unplanned cesarean section. LIMITATIONS Generalization of findings might be limited by self-selection bias and some systematic dropout. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest differential predictors of PTSD symptoms in mothers and fathers. For fathers, less examined factors such as work factors may be important. Identifying differential risk factors may lead to customized prevention and treatment offers.
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Guo P, Xu D, Liew Z, He H, Brocklehurst P, Taylor B, Zhang C, Jin X, Gong W. Adherence to Traditional Chinese Postpartum Practices and Postpartum Depression: A Cross-Sectional Study in Hunan, China. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:649972. [PMID: 34385937 PMCID: PMC8353075 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.649972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: The relationship between adherence to traditional Chinese postpartum practices (known as "doing-the-month") and postpartum depression (PPD) remains unknown. Practices including restrictions on diet, housework and social activity, personal hygiene, and cold contact, could introduce biological, psychological, and socio-environmental changes during postpartum. Methods: The cross-sectional study included 955 postpartum women in obstetric clinics in Hunan Province of China between September 2018 to June 2019. Thirty postpartum practices were collected by a self-report online structured questionnaire. Postpartum depression symptoms were assessed by the Chinese version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Multivariable linear regression was used to estimate the differences in EPDS scores according to adherence to postpartum practices. Firth's bias-reduced logistic regression was employed to analyze the binary classification of having PPD symptoms (EPDS ≥ 10). Results: Overall, both moderate and low adherence to postpartum practices appeared to be associated with higher EPDS scores (adjusted difference 1.07, 95% CI 0.20, 1.94 for overall moderate adherence; and adjusted difference 1.72, 95% CI 0.84, 2.60 for overall low adherence). In analyses by practice domain, low adherence to housework-related and social activity restrictions was associated with having PPD symptoms compared with high adherence (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.07, 2.43). Conclusions: Low adherence to traditional Chinese postpartum practices was associated with higher EPDS scores indicating PPD symptoms, especially in the domain of housework-related and social activity restrictions. Psychosocial stress and unsatisfactory practical support related to low adherence to postpartum practices might contribute to PPD. Longitudinal study and clinical assessment would be needed to confirm these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengfei Guo
- School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, United States
- Yale Center for Perinatal, Pediatric, and Environmental Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Dong Xu
- School of Health Management, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Center for WHO Studies, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Institute for Health Management, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- ACACIA Labs, Institute for Global Health and Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zeyan Liew
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, United States
- Yale Center for Perinatal, Pediatric, and Environmental Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Hua He
- Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Peter Brocklehurst
- Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Beck Taylor
- Institute for Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Chao Zhang
- Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Xin Jin
- Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Wenjie Gong
- Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, China
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States
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Asselmann E, Garthus-Niegel S, Martini J. Personality and Peripartum Changes in Perceived Social Support: Findings From Two Prospective-Longitudinal Studies in (Expectant) Mothers and Fathers. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:814152. [PMID: 35126214 PMCID: PMC8811288 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.814152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine changes in perceived social support from early pregnancy to 2 years postpartum and to test whether these changes (a) differ between mothers and fathers or (b) vary as a function of the Big Five personality traits. BACKGROUND Higher peripartum social support in (expectant) mothers and fathers has been associated with fewer complications during pregnancy and delivery as well as better parental and offspring health. METHODS Prospective-longitudinal data from two regional-epidemiological samples from Germany were used: MARI (N = 396, including n = 293 mothers and n = 103 fathers) and DREAM (N = 2,819, including n = 1,689 mothers and n = 1,130 fathers). The Big Five personality traits were assessed during pregnancy in MARI as well as 8 weeks after the anticipated birth date in DREAM with short forms of the Big Five Inventory. Perceived social support was assessed during pregnancy, 4 months postpartum, and 16 months postpartum in MARI as well as during pregnancy, 14 months postpartum, and 2 years postpartum in DREAM using the short version of the Social Support Questionnaire. RESULTS Multilevel analyses revealed that perceived social support decreased across the peripartum period, and this decrease did not differ between mothers and fathers. More extraverted, emotionally stable, agreeable, conscientious, and open parents perceived higher levels of social support across the peripartum period. The peripartum decrease of perceived social support was smaller in parents who were more extraverted. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that especially extraversion plays an important role for high and stable levels of perceived social support across the peripartum period. IMPLICATIONS Particularly highly introverted parents might profit from targeted social support interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Asselmann
- Faculty of Health, HMU Health and Medical University, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Susan Garthus-Niegel
- Faculty of Medicine, Medical School Hamburg, Institute for Systems Medicine (ISM), Hamburg, Germany.,Faculty of Medicine, Institute and Policlinic of Occupational and Social Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,Department of Child Health and Development, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Julia Martini
- Faculty of Psychology, School of Science, Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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Karl M, Schaber R, Kress V, Kopp M, Martini J, Weidner K, Garthus-Niegel S. Precarious working conditions and psychosocial work stress act as a risk factor for symptoms of postpartum depression during maternity leave: results from a longitudinal cohort study. BMC Public Health 2020; 20:1505. [PMID: 33023543 PMCID: PMC7539402 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-020-09573-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The majority of Western women work during their reproductive years, but past research has often neglected the influence of work-related factors on postpartum mental health. Especially postpartum depression (PPD) is an enormous psychological burden for mothers. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the prospective impact of precarious working conditions and psychosocial work stress during pregnancy (such as work-privacy conflict and effort-reward imbalance at the job) on symptoms of maternal PPD. METHODS In the prospective-longitudinal cohort study DREAM (DResdner Studie zu Elternschaft, Arbeit und Mentaler Gesundheit), N = 587 employed women were questioned about their work during pregnancy and their mental health 8 weeks after delivery. RESULTS Multiple regression analyses revealed that work-privacy conflict, low reward at work, and precarious working conditions significantly predicted symptoms of PPD, even when controlling for lifetime depression, anxiety, education, parity, and age. CONCLUSION Our results indicate that psychosocial work stress and precarious working conditions have important implications for maternal peripartum mental health. They might act as prospective risk factors for PPD during the period of maternal leave. Hence, future research should focus on preventative measures targeting work life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlene Karl
- Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine of the Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Ronja Schaber
- Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine of the Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Victoria Kress
- Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine of the Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Marie Kopp
- Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine of the Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Julia Martini
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine of the Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Kerstin Weidner
- Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine of the Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Susan Garthus-Niegel
- Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine of the Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany. .,Department of Child Health and Development, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
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