SynthesisWomen's health (London, England)
Associations between maternal birth complications and postpartum depressive symptoms: A systematic narrative review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Women's health (London, England). The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Risk factors for postpartum depression: an umbrella review.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- Relationship between pre-pregnancy body mass index and postpartum depression, and the mediation effects of cesarean delivery, low birth weight, child anomaly, and breastfeeding: a prospective birth cohort in the Japan environment and children's study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- Associations between birth-related stressors, social reward responsiveness, and postpartum internalizing symptoms.Anxiety, stress, and coping · 2026Article
- A multimethod longitudinal examination of the effects of childhood maltreatment on birth experiences and postpartum mental health.Development and psychopathology · 2025Article
- The Association Between Psychosocial Stress and Perinatal Maternal Depressive Symptoms: A Case-Control Study in a Regional Medical Center in Hungary.Journal of personalized medicine · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundNearly half of people report birth-related complications, which is thought to be a risk factor for postpartum depression (PPD).
objectivesThe goal of this systematic narrative review and meta-analysis was to provide an updated examination of the literature linking specific maternal birth complications and PPD.
designA systematic review was conducted focused on studies examining associations between specific maternal birth complications and PPD symptoms/and or diagnoses, along with meta-analyses to quantify the magnitude of associations for specific experiences. The review protocol was not pre-registered.
methodsSearches were completed using PsycINFO and PubMed databases. We used four eligibility criteria: (a) article available in English, (b) study included a measure of dimensional or diagnostic depression, (c) include discrete experience of birth-related complication, and (d) included a statistical test of the bivariate association between depression in the postpartum period and a measure of birth-related complication. We excluded studies of newborn intensive care or infant health conditions, rather than maternal birth complications directly impacting the pregnant person's health. All analyses were conducted using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Software. We considered patterns in sampling, measurement, and analytic designs. To address publication bias, we examined funnel plots and calculated Egger's test.
resultsThe review (61 studies; 1,853,282 total participants) revealed four categories of maternal birth complications (i.e., cesarean, preterm birth, pain, laceration). Both the narrative review and meta-analysis support positive associations between maternal birth complications overall and PPD symptoms and diagnoses (odds ratio, OR = 1.47,
conclusionsThis study expands upon previous research and provides nuanced perspective on the relationship between different types of maternal birth complications and PPD. This review was supported by a Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship and 1F31MH135650-01.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.