Systematic review

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Prevalence and risk factors for postpartum depression among women with preterm and low-birth-weight infants: a systematic review

  1. SN Vigod1,
  2. L Villegas2,
  3. C-L Dennis3,
  4. LE Ross4

Article first published online: 29 JAN 2010

DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2009.02493.x

Issue

BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Volume 117, Issue 5, pages 540–550, April 2010

Additional Information

How to Cite

Vigod, S., Villegas, L., Dennis, C.-L. and Ross, L. (2010), Prevalence and risk factors for postpartum depression among women with preterm and low-birth-weight infants: a systematic review. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 117: 540–550. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2009.02493.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Women’s College Hospital and Women’s College Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada

  2. 2

    Reproductive Life Stages Program, Women’s College Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada

  3. 3

    Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, ON, Canada

  4. 4

    Social Equity and Health Research Section, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada

*Dr SN Vigod, Reproductive Life Stages Program, Women’s College Hospital, 76 Grenville St., 9th Floor, Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 1B2. Email simone.vigod@wchospital.ca

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 8 MAR 2010
  2. Article first published online: 29 JAN 2010
  3. Accepted 14 December 2009. Published Online 29 January 2010.

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Keywords:

  • Depression;
  • low birth weight;
  • postpartum;
  • prematurity

Please cite this paper as: Vigod S, Villegas L, Dennis C-L, Ross L. Prevalence and risk factors for postpartum depression among women with preterm and low-birth-weight infants: a systematic review. BJOG 2010;117:540–550.

Background  Although much is known about the risk factors for postpartum depression (PPD), the role of giving birth to a preterm or low-birth-weight infant has not been reviewed systematically.

Objective  To review systematically the prevalence and risk factors for PPD among women with preterm infants.

Search strategy  Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO and the Cochrane Library were searched from their start dates to August 2008 using keywords relevant to depression and prematurity.

Selection criteria  Peer-reviewed articles were eligible for inclusion if a standardised assessment of depression was administered between delivery and 52 weeks postpartum to mothers of preterm infants.

Data collection and analysis  Data on either the prevalence of PPD or mean depression score in the target population and available comparison groups were extracted from the 26 articles included in the review. Risk factors for PPD were also extracted where reported.

Main results  The rates of PPD were as high as 40% in the early postpartum period among women with premature infants. Sustained depression was associated with earlier gestational age, lower birth weight, ongoing infant illness/disability and perceived lack of social support. The main limitation was that most studies failed to consider depression in pregnancy as a confounding variable.

Author’s conclusions  Mothers of preterm infants are at higher risk of depression than mothers of term infants in the immediate postpartum period, with continued risk throughout the first postpartum year for mothers of very-low-birth-weight infants. Targeted clinical interventions to identify and prevent PPD in this vulnerable obstetric population are warranted.

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