Depression at 2 Months Postpartum: Results From the French National Perinatal Survey

Abstract

Objective: Estimate nationwide postpartum depression (PPD) at 2 months prevalence and its related risk factors.

Methods: The representative study sample comprised 7,133 women who were included in a national perinatal population- based survey of all women who gave birth in France in March 2021. Data on maternal characteristics, course of pregnancy/delivery, and child's health were collected from face-to-face interviews in maternity wards and/or medical records and a self-questionnaire (including the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale [EPDS]) at 2 months postpartum. Women with an EPDS score ≥13 were considered to have PPD. Poisson regression models with robust variance were used to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) for PPD.

Results: PPD prevalence at 2 months was 16.7% (95% CI, [15.7-17.7]). Factors significantly associated with PPD were (1) age ≤29 or ≥40 years (maximum aPR=1.41 95% CI, [1.12-1.77] obtained for 15- to 24-year-olds vs 35- to 39-year-olds); (2) being born in North Africa (1.29 [1.02-1.64] vs France); (3) having a lower level of health literacy (1.23 [1.14-1.35]); (4) having a history of psychological (1.45 [1.24-1.69]) or psychiatric (1.52 [1.23-1.88]) care since adolescence (vs none); (5) receiving little/ no support or good support during pregnancy (1.80 [1.52-2.14] and 1.31 [1.15-1.48] vs receiving very good support); (6) reporting feelings of sadness (1.92 [1.65-2.25]), anhedonia (1.69 [1.36-2.11]), or both (2.61 [2.26-3.01]) during pregnancy (vs none of these feelings); and (7) having had an instrumental vaginal delivery (1.18 [1.01-1.38] vs spontaneous vaginal delivery).

Conclusion: These findings on PPD (prevalence and profile of women at higher risk) could guide clinicians and policies on early identification and preventive support for women in the perinatal period.