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. 2017 Aug 28;12(8):e0182817.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0182817. eCollection 2017.

Hair cortisol levels, psychological stress and psychopathological symptoms as predictors of postpartum depression

Rafael A Caparros-Gonzalez  1   2 , Borja Romero-Gonzalez  1 , Helen Strivens-Vilchez  3 , Raquel Gonzalez-Perez  4 , Olga Martinez-Augustin  5 , Maria Isabel Peralta-Ramirez  1
Affiliations

Hair cortisol levels, psychological stress and psychopathological symptoms as predictors of postpartum depression

Rafael A Caparros-Gonzalez et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Postpartum depression affects a huge number of women and has detrimental consequences. Knowing the factors associated with postpartum depression during pregnancy can help its prevention. Although there is evidence surrounding behavioral or psychological predictors of postpartum depression, there is a lack of evidence of biological forecasters. The aim of this study was to analyze the sociodemographic, obstetric, and psychological variables along with hair cortisol levels during the first, second, and third trimesters of pregnancy that could predict postpartum depression symptoms. A sample of 44 pregnant women was assessed during 3 trimesters of pregnancy and the postpartum period using psychological questionnaires and hair cortisol levels. Participants were divided into 2 groups: a group with postpartum depression symptoms and a group with no postpartum depression symptoms. Results showed significant positive differences between groups in the first trimester regarding the Somatization subscale of the SCL-90-R (p < .05). In the second trimester, significant differences were found in the Somatization, Depression, Anxiety, and GSI subscales (p < .05). In the third trimester significant differences between both groups were found regarding pregnancy-specific stress. We found significant positive differences between groups regarding hair cortisol levels in the first and the third trimester. Hair cortisol levels could predict 21.7% of the variance of postpartum depression symptoms. In conclusion, our study provided evidence that psychopathological symptoms, pregnancy-specific stress, and hair cortisol levels can predict postpartum depression symptoms at different time-points during pregnancy. These findings can be applied in future studies and improve maternal care in clinical settings.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Summary of risk factors during pregnancy associated with postpartum depression [–13].
Fig 2
Fig 2. SCL-90-R scores throughout pregnancy in both groups.
Note. SOMS = Somatization; OBS = Obsessive-compulsive; SEN = Interpersonal sensitivity; DEP = Depression; ANX = Anxiety; HOS = Hostility; PHOB = Phobic anxiety; PAR = Paranoid ideation; PSI = Psychoticism; GSI = Global severity index; PST = Positive symptoms total; PSDI = Positive symptoms distress index; PPD = Postpartum depression; NO PPD = No postpartum depression.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Hair cortisol levels differences (pg/mg) in each trimester between women with and without postpartum depression symptoms.
Note. *Significant at the p ≤ .05 level.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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