TY - JOUR
T1 - The relationship between women's attachment style and perinatal mood disturbance
T2 - Implications for screening and treatment
AU - Monk, Catherine
AU - Leight, Kristin L.
AU - Fang, Yixin
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by the March of Dimes, the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, the Sackler Institute, and by a Career Development Award MH01928 to Catherine Monk. We would like to thank the many women who participated in this research, as well as Liz Werner, Lynn M. Evans, Ph.D., and Anuja Kriplani for their contributions in the collection and management of these data. We also extend thanks to Michael Myers, Ph.D. for commenting on an earlier draft of this manuscript.
PY - 2008/6
Y1 - 2008/6
N2 - To investigate women's attachment style in relation to risk for pregnancy-specific distress and perinatal depression. During the 2nd trimester, 186 women were evaluated for Axis I psychiatric disorders. In the 3rd trimester they self-reported: attachment style, pregnancy experience, current life stress, and symptoms of depression and anxiety. At 4 months post partum, a sub-sample of them (n=56) repeated the self-report questionnaires. Wariness of attachments (high on fear dimension) was associated with greater 'hassles' compared to 'uplifts' in the assessment of pregnancy (r=0.31, p≤0.001) while attachment security was negatively related to this ratio (r=-0.31, p≤0.001). Healthy women, versus women with a psychiatric diagnosis, scored higher on security (t=(150) -3.47, p≤0.001) and lower on attachment fear (t=(150) -2.32, p≤0.05). Using multiple regression models, there was a significant main effect of fearful attachment style on prenatal depressive symptoms (β=1.7, p≤0.05), and of fearful and secure attachment styles for postpartum depression (β=-2.88, p≤0.05, β=-3.78, p≤0.05, respectively), even in the context of other known risk factors (in the two models, F(8, 106)= 29.33, p≤0.0001, F(3, 33)=10.85, p≤0.0001, respectively). A hierarchical regression showed that attachment security uniquely contributed to the risk for postpartum depression, beyond depression during pregnancy (R2 change from 0.25 to 0.35). An approach to perinatal psychiatric disorders that includes psychological factors such as attachment could improve screening, and provide pregnant women with specifically-tailored psychosocial interventions focused on modifying attachment schemas.
AB - To investigate women's attachment style in relation to risk for pregnancy-specific distress and perinatal depression. During the 2nd trimester, 186 women were evaluated for Axis I psychiatric disorders. In the 3rd trimester they self-reported: attachment style, pregnancy experience, current life stress, and symptoms of depression and anxiety. At 4 months post partum, a sub-sample of them (n=56) repeated the self-report questionnaires. Wariness of attachments (high on fear dimension) was associated with greater 'hassles' compared to 'uplifts' in the assessment of pregnancy (r=0.31, p≤0.001) while attachment security was negatively related to this ratio (r=-0.31, p≤0.001). Healthy women, versus women with a psychiatric diagnosis, scored higher on security (t=(150) -3.47, p≤0.001) and lower on attachment fear (t=(150) -2.32, p≤0.05). Using multiple regression models, there was a significant main effect of fearful attachment style on prenatal depressive symptoms (β=1.7, p≤0.05), and of fearful and secure attachment styles for postpartum depression (β=-2.88, p≤0.05, β=-3.78, p≤0.05, respectively), even in the context of other known risk factors (in the two models, F(8, 106)= 29.33, p≤0.0001, F(3, 33)=10.85, p≤0.0001, respectively). A hierarchical regression showed that attachment security uniquely contributed to the risk for postpartum depression, beyond depression during pregnancy (R2 change from 0.25 to 0.35). An approach to perinatal psychiatric disorders that includes psychological factors such as attachment could improve screening, and provide pregnant women with specifically-tailored psychosocial interventions focused on modifying attachment schemas.
KW - Attachment style
KW - Perinatal depression
KW - Postpartum depression
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U2 - 10.1007/s00737-008-0005-x
DO - 10.1007/s00737-008-0005-x
M3 - Article
C2 - 18493708
AN - SCOPUS:45849104205
SN - 1434-1816
VL - 11
SP - 117
EP - 129
JO - Archives of Women's Mental Health
JF - Archives of Women's Mental Health
IS - 2
ER -