The Psychosocial Work Environment and Maternal Postpartum Depression

Details

• Personal Author:
  Alexander BH ; Dagher RK ; Dowd BE ; McCaffrey DJ ; McGovern, Patricia M. ; Ukestad LK
• Description:
  BACKGROUND: Postpartum depression is a debilitating mental disorder affecting women after childbirth. This study examined the correlates of postpartum depression at 11 weeks after childbirth, focusing on work-related stressors and applying the job demand-control-support model. METHOD: Investigators recruited a prospective cohort of 817 employed Minnesota women when hospitalized for childbirth in 2001. Trained interviewers collected data in person and by telephone at enrollment and 5 and 11 weeks postpartum from three Minneapolis and St. Paul hospitals. RESULTS: Results of hierarchical regression analysis showed that worse depression scores (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) were associated with higher psychological demands, lower schedule autonomy, and lower perceived control over work and family. Perceptions of control mediated the relationships of coworker support and schedule autonomy with postpartum depression scores. Study findings showed no significant buffering effects for decision latitude; however, coworker support and decision latitude appear to act as functional substitutes in reducing postpartum depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: These findings raise questions about the applicability of the job demand-control-support model to postpartum women or to postpartum depression. Future research could assess the impact of the interaction between the work and home environment on maternal postpartum depression. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Family Fatigue Mental Disorders Mental Health Occupational Health Safety Stress, Psychological Women Workplace
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Demand-control-support Model Emotional-stress Employee-health Families Job Control Maternal Welfare Mental-fatigue Mental-health Mental-stress Physiological-measurements Postpartum Depression Psychological-fatigue Psychological-stress Psychosocial Factors Sociological-factors Statistical-analysis Work-environment Worker-health Workplace-studies

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• ISSN:
  1070-5503
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Minnesota ; New York ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  339-346
• Volume:
  16
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20036521
• Citation:
  Int J Behav Med 2009 Dec; 16(4):339-346
• Contact Point Address:
  Rada K. Dagher, Department of Health Services Research, Management and Policy, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, P.O. Box 100195, Gainesville, FL 32610-0195
• Email:
  rdagher@phhp.ufl.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2010
• NORA Priority Area:
  Work Environment and Workforce: Organization of Work
• Performing Organization:
  University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19990930
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Behavioral Medicine
• End Date:
  20050929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c87e38b85502f63464550d41aa432b04b2e74607ecf00a23fb66b6bb7159f6d2af59978c8c3e10019e5ea999184841ad3f534e7b50aedbc79708c3569f64af9e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/187909/cdc_187909_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 144.73 KB ]