Mental Health after Childbirth: Growth Trajectories in Depressive Symptoms over Time

• In Event: 349 - Section on Aging and the Life Course Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 09. Depression over the Life Course

Abstract

The impact of childbirth on depressive symptoms has been widely studied. However, the literature relating to childbirth outcomes mostly focuses on risk factors associated with increased depression rather than looking at the factors associated with increased well-being. In the current study, I use the Longitudinal Study of Generations (LSOG) data to examine how a child’s birth influences individuals’ depressive symptom trajectories, how the timing of childbirth may condition the effect of childbirth on depression, and how those trajectories may vary by gender. The sample includes the third generation among 300 three-generation California families, including 482 individuals who are of childbearing age throughout the study period. Results indicate that childbirth reduces individuals’ depressive symptoms; individuals who experienced childbirth on-average increase their well-being but the benefits decrease as the age to have childbirth increases; both men and women benefit their mental health from childbirth during their 30 to 40s but the benefits decrease as the age at childbirth increases.

Author

• Sibo Zhao, State University of New York-Buffalo