Prevalence and incidence of postpartum depression and environmental factors: the IGEDEPP cohort

TL;DR

This study estimates the prevalence and incidence of postpartum depression in a large cohort of women, highlighting the significant role of stressful life events and psychiatric history in postpartum mental health.

Contribution

It provides detailed prevalence and incidence rates of postpartum depression and explores environmental and personal factors influencing its development.

Findings

Early PPD prevalence was 8.3%; late PPD was 12.9%.

Cumulative incidence of PPD at one year was 18.1%.

Nearly half of women experienced stressful events during pregnancy.

Abstract

Background: IGEDEPP (Interaction of Gene and Environment of Depression during PostPartum) is a prospective multicenter cohort study of 3,310 Caucasian women who gave birth between 2011 and 2016, with follow-up until one year postpartum. The aim of the current study is to describe the cohort and estimate the prevalence and cumulative incidence of early and late postpartum depression (PPD). Methods: Socio-demographic data, personal and family psychiatric history, as well as stressful life events during childhood and pregnancy were evaluated at baseline. Early and late PPD were assessed at 8 weeks and 1 year postpartum respectively, using DSM-5 criteria. Results: The prevalence of early PPD was 8.3% (95%CI 7.3-9.3), and late PPD 12.9% (95%CI 11.5-14.2), resulting in an 8-week cumulative incidence of 8.5% (95%CI 7.4-9.6) and a one-year cumulative incidence of PPD of 18.1% (95%CI: 17.1-19.2). Nearly half of the cohort (N=1571, 47.5%) had a history of at least one psychiatric or addictive disorder, primarily depressive disorder (35%). Almost 300 women in the cohort (9.0%) reported childhood trauma. During pregnancy, 47.7% women experienced a stressful event, 30.2% in the first 8 weeks and 43.9% between 8 weeks and one year postpartum. Nearly one in five women reported at least one stressful postpartum event at 8 weeks. Conclusion: Incident depressive episodes affected nearly one in five women during the first year postpartum. Most women had stressful perinatal events. Further IGEDEPP studies will aim to disentangle the impact of childhood and pregnancy-related stressful events on postpartum mental disorders.