’Substantial’ number of mothers experience anxiety, depression and stress – study

One in ten first-time mothers reported symptoms of moderate to severe anxiety, while almost one in seven reported moderate to severe depression in the first year after giving birth, a new study has found.

The research, from Trinity College’s School of Nursing and Midwifery, examined the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms experienced by first-time mothers – from pregnancy throughout the first postpartum year.

It is based on the MAMMI (Maternal health And Maternal Morbidity in Ireland) study, a multi-strand, longitudinal study which has collected information on the health and health problems of more than 3,000 first-time mothers giving birth in Ireland.

It found that 9.5 per cent of new mothers reported symptoms of anxiety and 14.2 per cent reported depression in the first postpartum year.

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Almost one in five mothers, or 19.2 per cent, reported moderate to severe stress symptoms in the year after having their first baby.

Some 69 per cent of women who reported having symptoms of depression in the postpartum year did not have any symptoms during pregnancy, with this figure rising to 71 per cent for those with anxiety symptoms.

Depression and stress symptoms measured the lowest during pregnancy but increased after birth at three months and were at the highest at six months postpartum, the study found.

Depression and stress dropped a little at nine months postpartum and then increased again at one year postpartum.

According to the research, which was published in the journal Archives of Women’s Mental Health, the women who were more likely to report symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress postpartum were younger, born in a non-EU country, did not live with a partner, did not have a postgraduate education and were unemployed during their pregnancy.

The research also found that women who reported experiencing occasional or frequent symptoms of anxiety or depression in the year before their pregnancy were more likely to experience depressive, anxiety or stress symptoms in the first year postpartum, regardless of their age, education and relationship status.

Susan Hannon, PhD candidate and senior author of the report, said maternal healthcare currently stops at 6 weeks postpartum.

“But our research shows that a substantial number of women are experiencing clinical-level symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress well beyond this period of service provision. This means that women are not supported by a maternity care system that can detect and offer timely treatment to women who need it,” she said.

“Women who experience mental health problems in motherhood have to seek out treatment for themselves, and that can be a very difficult call for a woman to make. Women would really benefit from postpartum healthcare that can support them for longer.”

Déirdre Daly, associate professor in midwifery at Trinity College Dublin, said: "Every time we see findings like this, we have to think about all of the women who shared their information with us – many of these women are suffering – unnecessarily and often in silence."