Postpartum Depression Can Harm Women's Finances

TUESDAY, Nov. 30, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Besides its unspeakable interaction connected mental health, postpartum depression tin besides bring semipermanent fiscal struggles to affected women, caller probe shows.

"These findings item the value of screening and expanding entree to intelligence wellness enactment services for low-income pregnant and postpartum women," said survey writer Slawa Rokicki, an teacher astatine Rutgers School of Public Health successful New Brunswick, N.J.

For the study, researchers analyzed information connected much than 4,300 U.S. women who had babies betwixt 1998 and 2000 and were followed until 2017.

About 12% of the women met the criteria for major depression successful the twelvemonth aft giving birth. Those women were much apt to person been calved successful the United States, to person little household incomes and to person received nationalist assistance successful the twelvemonth earlier delivery.

Postpartum slump successful the archetypal twelvemonth aft giving commencement was powerfully associated with fiscal hardship -- specified arsenic trouble gathering aesculapian costs, having utilities unopen off, inability to wage bills and adjacent eviction and homelessness -- for up to 15 years later.

Postpartum slump was besides associated with unemployment successful the archetypal 3 years aft giving commencement and poorness 3 to 9 years aft delivery, according to findings precocious published successful the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

"This probe besides has implications for the cost-effectiveness of maternal wellness interventions," said survey co-author Mark McGovern, an adjunct prof successful Rutgers' School of Public Health. "Our results connote that programs designed to little the prevalence of maternal slump should beryllium viewed not lone arsenic interventions that beforehand colonisation wellness but besides arsenic interventions that summation economical well-being."

More information

The U.S. Office connected Women's Health has much astir postpartum depression.

SOURCES: Rutgers University, quality release, Nov. 17, 2021