To cite this abstract / Pentru a cita rezumatul:
Apostol S, Petrisor AI, Strungaru C, Schiefenhovel W (2002), Postpartum Depression and Postpartum Blues: An Evolutionary Psychology Approach, Bulletin of the South Carolina Academy of Science 64:88

Postpartum Depression and Postpartum Blues: An Evolutionary Psychology Approach

Alexandru-Ionut Petrisor (1)
Silviu Apostol (2)
Carmen Strungaru (3)
Wulf Schiefenhövel (4)

(1) MSPH, Graduate Assistant, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health, Columbia, SC
(2) MS, Institute of Normal and Pathological Physiology “D. Danielopolu”, Bucharest, Romania
(3) PhD, Department of Animal Physiology, Biophysics and Ethology, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Romania
(4) MD, PhD, Department of Behavioral Studies at the Max-Planck-Institute, Andechs, Germany

ABSTRACT

Traditionally, postpartum blues and postpartum depression were considered hormonal disturbances, as well as affective disorders occurring after birth. The evolutionary approach considers new risk factors deriving from the shift from traditional birth to the stresses inherent to hospitalization. This ongoing epidemiological study, based on a questionnaire administered to parturient in Bucharest, Romania short time after birth, aims to approach postpartum depression from the evolutionary perspective. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) for the relationship between measures of postpartum depression and postpartum blues and various risk factors based on a sample of 65 young mothers. There was an increased risk for postpartum depression and blues for prenatal affective disorders (OR = 6.707, 95% CI = (2.427, 18.533)), abortion intention (OR = 5.532, 95% CI = (1.756, 17.431)), and worries concerning the birth (OR = 4.749, 95% CI = (1.548, 14.568)), but help from the husband during pregnancy appeared to have a protective effect, however not significant (OR = 0.571, 95% CI = (0.307, 1.059)). We concluded that psychological factors were more significant than the traditional ones. Nevertheless, more and deeper research involving larger samples is required.