Maternity leave duration and postpartum mental and physical health: implications for leave policies

Details

• Personal Author:
  Dagher RK ; Dowd BE ; McGovern, Patricia M.
• Description:
  This study examines the association of leave duration with depressive symptoms, mental health, physical health, and maternal symptoms in the first postpartum year, using a prospective cohort design. Eligible employed women, eighteen years or older, were interviewed in person at three Minnesota hospitals while hospitalized for childbirth in 2001. Telephone interviews were conducted at six weeks (N=716), twelve weeks (N=661), six months (N=625), and twelve months (N=575) after delivery. Depressive symptoms (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale), mental and physical health (SF-12 Health Survey), and maternal childbirth-related symptoms were measured at each time period. Two-stage least squares analysis showed that the relationship between leave duration and postpartum depressive symptoms is U-shaped, with a minimum at six months. In the first postpartum year, an increase in leave duration is associated with a decrease in depressive symptoms until six months postpartum. Moreover, ordinary least squares analysis showed a marginally significant linear positive association between leave duration and physical health. Taking leave from work provides time for mothers to rest and recover from pregnancy and childbirth. Findings indicate that the current leave duration provided by the Family and Medical Leave Act, twelve weeks, may not be sufficient for mothers at risk for or experiencing postpartum depression. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aging Epidemiology Mental Health Occupational Health Pregnancy Safety Women
• Keywords:
  Age-groups Humans Mental-health Physiological-response Physiology Psychological-effects Psychological-reactions Psychology Statistical-analysis
• ISSN:
  0361-6878
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; Minnesota ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  369-416
• Volume:
  39
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20045512
• Citation:
  J Health Polit Policy Law 2014 Apr; 39(2):369-416
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2014
• Performing Organization:
  University of Minnesota
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19970701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law
• End Date:
  20020630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d460c2eee569889e4e1367b381e94acdbb0ce97710f5d8b2bcb0e647489f59d7715ac97c6cfe53cffea8f9d6a3afb8185cda5c2c384b6b4a30c38d426815cc84
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/200907/cdc_200907_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 282.86 KB ]