Perinatal Mood Disorders in Polish Women: A Cross-Sectional Study

TL;DR

This study examines mood disorders in Polish women during pregnancy and after childbirth, finding links between depressive symptoms and quality of life.

Contribution

The study identifies specific obstetric factors influencing mood and quality of life in perinatal women.

Findings

Negative correlations were found between PHQ-9 and SF-36 scores in pregnant and postpartum women.

Obstetric factors like conception duration and hospitalizations significantly affect mood and quality of life.

Depressive symptoms during the perinatal period reduce women's quality of life.

Abstract

Background: Mood disorders such as postpartum blues, anxiety disorders, perinatal depression and posttraumatic stress disorder are common and can take various forms. For this reason, the assessment of emotional disorders and quality of life in women should be an integral part of health monitoring, and this was therefore adopted as the aim of the present study. Methods: The study was conducted using a diagnostic survey with questionnaires based on the authors’ survey, the SF-36, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. The cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 women in Poland, including 172 pregnant and 228 postpartum women. Results: Negative correlations were found between the PHQ-9 and SF-36 in pregnant and postpartum women. Selected obstetric factors were shown to significantly influence SF-36 and PHQ-9 scores (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The risk of mood disorders is associated with the duration of attempts to conceive, the course of pregnancy, and the number of hospitalizations. The presence of depressive symptoms affects the quality of life of women during the perinatal period.