Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40574509›Full record

ArticleEpidemiology and psychiatric sciences2025

Investigating the association between the number of interpersonal supporters during first-time pregnancy and postpartum depression symptoms.

Junko Niimura, Syudo Yamasaki, Miharu Nakanishi, Satoshi Yamaguchi, Kaori Baba, Naomi Nakajima, Mitsuhiro Miyashita, Daniel Stanyon, Gemma Knowles, Jordan DeVylder and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Junko NiimuraMental Health Promotion Unit, Research Center for Social Science & Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4404-055X
Syudo YamasakiMental Health Promotion Unit, Research Center for Social Science & Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan.
Miharu NakanishiDepartment of Psychiatric Nursing, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Miyagi, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6200-9279
Satoshi YamaguchiMental Health Promotion Unit, Research Center for Social Science & Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3988-1330
Kaori BabaMental Health Promotion Unit, Research Center for Social Science & Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan.
Naomi NakajimaMental Health Promotion Unit, Research Center for Social Science & Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan.
Mitsuhiro MiyashitaMental Health Promotion Unit, Research Center for Social Science & Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan.
Daniel StanyonEconomic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Center for Society and Mental Health, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Gemma KnowlesEconomic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Center for Society and Mental Health, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Jordan DeVylderSilver School of Social Work, New York University, New York, USA.
Mariko Hiraiwa-HasegawaMental Health Promotion Unit, Research Center for Social Science & Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan.
Shuntaro AndoDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Kiyoto KasaiDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Atsushi NishidaMental Health Promotion Unit, Research Center for Social Science & Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsFirst-year postpartum depression is a common mental health problem among first-time mothers. A younger age of pregnancy often compounds the challenge due to underlying factors such as poverty and limited educational achievement. This study aimed to examine the minimal number of interpersonal supporters during pregnancy associated with lower levels of postpartum depressive symptoms among first-time mothers.

methodsWe obtained data from the population-based Mother-Infant/Newborn Tokyo Cohort (MINT cohort) in four municipalities in Tokyo on 429 first-time mothers who responded to two waves of surveys (early pregnancy and one month postpartum). They completed self-report measures of interpersonal support using one item from the Social Support Questionnaire and depressive symptoms using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Segmented regression analyses were conducted to determine the threshold at which the strength of the association changed between the number of interpersonal supporters and postpartum depressive symptoms, with adjustment for depressive symptoms in pregnancy. This analysis was also conducted with the sample stratified into young mothers (≤ 25 years) and older mothers (≥ 26 years).

resultsIn the overall sample, postpartum depressive symptoms were found to be lower among individuals with more than 3.0 supportive individuals (prepartum). Among young mothers, this threshold was higher, with lower symptom levels observed among those with at least 5.3 supporters. Only 22.9% of young first-time mothers had this level of interpersonal support, compared to 54.8% of all first-time mothers.

conclusionsOur results suggest that having four or more interpersonal supporters in early pregnancy is associated with lower levels of postpartum depressive symptoms among first-time mothers. Additionally, among young mothers, having six or more supporters was associated with lower postpartum depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that tailored strategies to increase supporters around first-time pregnant women might be beneficial depending on their age.

Indexed as

Depression, PostpartumInterpersonal RelationsMothersSocial SupportAdultFemaleHumansPregnancyPsychiatric Status Rating ScalesSurveys and QuestionnairesTokyoYoung AdultCohort studyfirst birthsinterpersonal supportpostpartum depressionsocial supportyoung mothers

Identifiers

PMID40574509
PMCPMC12281049

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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.