ArticlePsychological medicine2018
Adverse life events, psychiatric history, and biological predictors of postpartum depression in an ethnically diverse sample of postpartum women.
Article in Psychological medicine, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 88 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
88 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 162 citations in OpenAlex.
- Peripartum allopregnanolone blood concentrations and depressive symptoms: a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis.Molecular psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Breastfeeding interventions for preventing postpartum depression.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- The Relationship Between a Lifetime History of Sexual Victimization and Perinatal Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Trauma, violence & abuse · 2023Pooled it
- Family History of Psychiatric Disorders as a Risk Factor for Maternal Postpartum Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JAMA psychiatry · 2022Pooled it
- Test-statistic inflation in methylome-wide association studies.Epigenetics · 2020Pooled it
- Oxytocin and postpartum depression: A systematic review.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2020Pooled it
- Postnatal Depression Risk Factors: An Overview of Reviews to Inform COVID-19 Research, Clinical, and Policy Priorities.Frontiers in global women's health · 2020Pooled it
- Beneficial Effects ofNutrients · 2023Trial
- Housing Insecurity, Housing Conditions, and Breastfeeding Behaviors for Medicaid-Eligible Families in Urban Settings.Journal of human lactation : official journal of International Lactation Consultant Association · 2022Trial
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion considerations for anti-racist, equity-focused NICU family mental health.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2026Review
- Factors Associated With Severe Mental Illnesses Newly Diagnosed in Perinatal Psychiatric Care: Findings From a Large Clinical Cohort.Annals of clinical psychiatry : official journal of the American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists · 2026Article
- Adolescent social isolation creates a latent vulnerability in maternal care with intergenerational social consequences, rescued by experienced mothers.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Disrespectful Maternity Care and Postpartum Depression at 2 Months: A Population-Based Study.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2026Article
- Life events and postpartum depressive symptoms among Black and Latina mothers: The role of protective factors.The American journal of orthopsychiatry · 2026Article
- Prevalence of Self-Reported Postpartum Depressive Symptoms and Related Factors in Women living in Puerto Rico (2017-2020).Puerto Rico health sciences journal · 2025Article
- Identifying subtypes based on environmental and neurobiological risk and resilience factors of postpartum maternal mental health.Translational psychiatry · 2025Article
- Multiple Psychiatric Traits Enriched for Brain Tissues in the Early Postpartum Period.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2025Article
- Activation of the Oxytocin System in the Hypothalamic Paraventricular Nucleus Improves Stress-Induced Postpartum Depression-Like Behavior in Rats.Actas espanolas de psiquiatria · 2025Article
- Female rats exposed to early life scarcity-adversity are resilient to later life changes in maternal behavior.Hormones and behavior · 2025Article
- Adverse life events among bedouin and jewish women and the risk for postpartum depressive symptoms.Archives of women's mental health · 2025Article
28 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundRace, psychiatric history, and adverse life events have all been independently associated with postpartum depression (PPD). However, the role these play together in Black and Latina women remains inadequately studied. Therefore, we performed a case-control study of PPD, including comprehensive assessments of symptoms and biomarkers, while examining the effects of genetic ancestry.
methodsWe recruited our sample (549 cases, 968 controls) at 6 weeks postpartum from obstetrical clinics in North Carolina. PPD status was determined using the MINI-plus. Psychiatric history was extracted from medical records. Participants were administered self-report instruments to assess depression (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) and adverse life events. Levels of estradiol, progesterone, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, oxytocin, and allopregnanalone were assayed. Principal components from genotype data were used to estimate genetic ancestry and logistic regression was used to identify predictors of PPD.
resultsThis population was racially diverse (68% Black, 13% Latina, 18% European). Genetic ancestry was not a predictor of PPD. Case status was predicted by a history of major depression (p = 4.01E-14), lifetime anxiety disorder diagnosis (p = 1.25E-34), and adverse life events (p = 6.06E-06). There were no significant differences between groups in any hormones or neurosteroids.
conclusionsPsychiatric history and multiple exposures to adverse life events were significant predictors of PPD in a population of minority and low-income women. Genetic ancestry and hormone levels were not predictive of case status. Increased genetic vulnerability in conjunction with risk factors may predict the onset of PPD, whereas genetic ancestry does not appear predictive.
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