Cohabitation as a strong predicting factor of perinatal depression

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess if the marital status, especially cohabitation, of pregnant and postpartum women, has any influence on the incidence of perinatal depression symptoms.

Methods: 117 pregnant women (at 32-40 weeks of gestation) and 105 postpartum patients (2-5 days after the delivery) were included in the study. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was used as a screening test for symptoms of pre- and postnatal depression. The risk of appearance of depressive symptoms was assessed in three groups of pregnant and postpartum patients - married, unpartnered and cohabitating.

Results: By means of the EPDS test, symptoms of perinatal depression were found in 17% of pregnant and 10% of postpartum women. In comparison to married women, the risk of appearance of depressive symptoms in unpartnered pregnant patients was almost 10-times higher (OR=9.34; 95% CI 1.42, 201.77), and several hundred times higher in cohabitating pregnant women (OR=975.86; 95% CI 116.73, 19502.00); the risk of depressive symptoms in postpartum unpartnered women was more than 2 times higher (OR=2.4; 95% CI 0.59, 9.72) and more than 20 times higher in cohabitating postpartum mothers (OR=23.2; 95% CI 5.89, 91.51).

Conclusions: 1. the marital status of pregnant and postpartum women has a substantial influence on the risk of the development of perinatal depressive symptoms; this risk is highly increased in a group of cohabitating women compared to patients remaining in a formal partnership as well as women who live unpartnered, 2. clinical evaluation of women in the perinatal period should include the assessment of their psychosocial status, which can constitute a predicting factor of perinatal depression, 3. pregnant women living in informal partnership should be put under strict psychological surveillance.