Maternal Cognitions and Depressive Symptoms during the Perinatal Period.

Abstract

This dissertation consists of three separate longitudinal studies that examined the relations between maternal cognitions and maternal depressive symptoms during the perinatal period. The goal of the first study was to develop and validate a new measure, the Rigidity of Maternal Beliefs Scale (RMBS), which explored maternal self-efficacy, child vulnerability, and perceptions of societal expectations of mothers. A community sample of 134 women completed the measure once during pregnancy and once during the first 3 months postpartum. Exploratory factor analysis identified a four-factor solution best fit the data, with two of the three hypothesized factors emerging. Analyses revealed that the measure was reliable, valid, and that the prenatal RMBS predicted postpartum depressive symptoms. The purpose of the second study was to test bidirectional and unidirectional models of depressive symptoms and parenting stress in a sample of 105 women over the first 14 months postpartum. Three specific domains of parenting stress were also examined: difficult child stress, parental distress, and parent-child dysfunctional interaction (PCDI) stress. Structural equation modeling revealed different patterns, depending on the type of stress. For total parenting stress, the hypothesized unidirectional model of stress predicting depressive symptoms fit best, whereas for difficult child stress, the alternative unidirectional model of depressive symptoms predicting stress fit best. Neither the unidirectional or bidirectional models were a good fit for parental distress. The hypothesized bidirectional model of PCDI and depressive symptoms was a good fit. The objective of the third study was to investigate the associations of depressive symptoms, maternal self-efficacy, and rumination for 231 second-time mothers during the perinatal period. Bidirectional effects of depressive symptoms and maternal self-efficacy were also examined and rumination tested as a moderating factor. Despite significant correlations between the study variables, structural equation modeling revealed no significant paths between depressive symptoms and maternal self-efficacy. Additionally, rumination level was not found to be a moderating factor. Findings from these three studies suggest that maternal cognitions and depressive symptoms are related. Future research should explore the specific nature of the associations, which may help researchers and clinicians to design more effective interventions for women struggling with perinatal depression.