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April 16, 2009
Mothers delivering multiple babies more likely to develop postpartum depression, research suggests
HealthDay (4/1, Preidt) reported that, according to a study published in the Apr. 1 issue of the journal Pediatrics and conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, "mothers who deliver two or more babies are more likely to have developed moderate to severe depression within nine months of giving birth than mothers who have a single baby."
For the study, the Hopkins team "analyzed data from" the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study -- Birth Cohort, "a nationally representative survey of children born in 2001."
The researchers discovered that "19 percent of mothers of multiples had moderate to severe depressive symptoms nine months after delivery, compared to 16 percent among mothers of singletons." In particular, "mothers with a history of hospitalization due to mental health problems or a history of alcohol or drug abuse...had significantly increased odds."
Other data revealed that "only 27 percent of all mothers with symptoms of depression said they had talked with a mental health specialist or a general medical provider about their symptoms."
Posted by admin at April 16, 2009 03:23 PM