ArticlePloS one2017
Hair cortisol levels, psychological stress and psychopathological symptoms as predictors of postpartum depression.
Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 70 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
70 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 150 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review of associations between hormone levels in hair and peripartum depression.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2025Pooled it
- The Efficacy of Digital Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions in Supporting the Psychological Adjustment and Sleep Quality of Pregnant Women with Sub-Clinical Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Meta-Analysis of Children's Acute Psychological Stress and Action Stress on Immune Function under Microscope Images.Journal of healthcare engineering · 2022Pooled it
- A systematic review of hair cortisol during pregnancy: Reference ranges and methodological considerations.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2020Pooled it
- Online cognitive behavioural therapy as a psychological vaccine against stress during the COVID-19 pandemic in pregnant women: A randomised controlled trial.Journal of psychiatric research · 2022Trial
- Trial
- Low Pregnancy Cortisol and Infant Socioemotional Problems: The Mediating Role of Postpartum Depressive Symptoms.Developmental psychobiology · 2026Article
- Understanding parental bonding in the first two years after birth: exploring family predictors using growth mixture modeling.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Biomarkers in maternal mental health research in Indonesia: toward a pragmatic hybrid framework in low-resource settings.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Identifying subtypes based on environmental and neurobiological risk and resilience factors of postpartum maternal mental health.Translational psychiatry · 2025Article
- Estrogenic Effect of Probiotics on Anxiety and Depression: A Narrative Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- The multifaceted role of hair as a biospecimen: recent advances in precision medicine and forensic science.Experimental & molecular medicine · 2025Review
- Association of preconception maternal glucocorticoid concentrations with sex ratio at birth: Evidence from a prospective cohort study.Annals of epidemiology · 2025Article
- Prepartal Stress, Prepartal and Postpartal Hair Glucocorticoid Concentrations, and Symptoms of Postpartum Depression 3 Days and 12 Weeks After Delivery.Biological psychiatry global open science · 2025Article
- The effect of cortisol in early pregnancy on postpartum depressive symptoms.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Exploring stress and depressive symptoms in pregnancy and the IL-1β, IL-6, and C-reactive protein pathway: Looking for possible biomarker targets.Comprehensive psychoneuroendocrinology · 2025Article
- Associations of sunlight affinity with depression and sleep disorders in American males: Evidence from NHANES 2009-2020.PloS one · 2025Article
- The Connection Between Stress and Women's Smoking During the Perinatal Period: A Systematic Review.Brain sciences · 2024Review
- Chronic stress and hair cortisol concentration in mothers: A two-study investigation.Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress · 2024Article
- A Chatbot (Juno) Prototype to Deploy a Behavioral Activation Intervention to Pregnant Women: Qualitative Evaluation Using a Multiple Case Study.JMIR formative research · 2024Article
10 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
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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