ArticlePhilosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences2021
Preventing postnatal depression: a causal mediation analysis of a 20-year preconception cohort.
Article in Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers.
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Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed.
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- Machine Learning-Based Prediction of Antepartum Depression Symptoms: A Prospective Cohort Study.International journal of women's health · 2026Article
- Managing pre and postpartum mental health issues of refugee women from fragile and conflict-affected countries: A systematic review.Public health in practice (Oxford, England) · 2025Review
- Social inequalities in eligibility rates and use of the Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme, 2016-22: an administrative data analysis.The Medical journal of Australia · 2025Article
- Neuroticism trait and postnatal depression among Chinese women: the mediating role of childbirth experience and the moderating role of perceived social support.BMC psychiatry · 2024Article
- Path analysis of influencing factors for maternal antenatal depression in the third trimester.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Explainable Machine Learning Classification to Identify Vulnerable Groups Among Parenting Mothers: Web-Based Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study.JMIR formative research · 2024Article
- Investigating Factors Associated with the Development of Postnatal Depression After Cesarean Delivery: A Validation Cohort Study.Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment · 2024Article
- The impact of postpartum social support on postpartum mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic.Archives of women's mental health · 2023Article
- A lifespan perspective on depression in the postpartum period in a racially and socioeconomically diverse sample of young mothers.Psychological medicine · 2023Article
- Self-harm in pregnancy and the postnatal year: prevalence and risk factors.Psychological medicine · 2023Article
- Article
- Antenatal depressive symptoms in rwanda: rates, risk factors, and social support.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2022Article
- How a pregnant woman's relationships with her siblings relate to her mental health: a prenatal allocare perspective.Evolution, medicine, and public health · 2022Article
- Who cares for women with children? Crossing the bridge between disciplines.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2021Article
- Perinatal depression in migrant and refugee women on the Thai-Myanmar border: does social support matter?Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2021Article
- The differential role of practical and emotional support in infant feeding experience in the UK.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2021Article
- Childcare support and child social development in Japan: investigating the mediating role of parental psychological condition and parenting style.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2021Article
- Communication Across Maternal Social Networks During England's First National Lockdown and Its Association With Postnatal Depressive Symptoms.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Article
- Preparing for Future Adversities: Lessons From the COVID-19 Pandemic in Australia for Promoting Relational Resilience in Families.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Article
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Abstract
Postnatal depression (PND) is common and predicts a range of adverse maternal and offspring outcomes. PND rates are highest among women with persistent mental health problems before pregnancy, and antenatal healthcare provides ideal opportunity to intervene. We examined antenatal perceived social support as a potential intervention target in preventing PND symptoms among women with prior mental health problems. A total of 398 Australian women (600 pregnancies) were assessed repeatedly for mental health problems before pregnancy (ages 14-29 years, 1992-2006), and again during pregnancy, two months postpartum and one year postpartum (2006-2014). Causal mediation analysis found that intervention on perceived antenatal social support has the potential to reduce rates of PND symptoms by up to 3% (from 15 to 12%) in women with persistent preconception symptoms. Supplementary analyses found that the role of low antenatal social support was independent of concurrent antenatal depressive symptoms. Combined, these two factors mediated up to more than half of the association between preconception mental health problems and PND symptoms. Trialling dual interventions on antenatal depressive symptoms and perceived social support represents one promising strategy to prevent PND in women with persistent preconception symptoms. Interventions promoting mental health before pregnancy may yield an even greater reduction in PND symptoms by disrupting a developmental cascade of risks via these and other pathways. This article is part of the theme issue 'Multidisciplinary perspectives on social support and maternal-child health'.
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