Social Support and Avoidant Coping: Correlates of Depressed Mood During Pregnancy in Minority Women
- 21 October 2001
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd in Women & Health
- Vol. 34 (3), 19-34
- https://doi.org/10.1300/j013v34n03_02
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate several psychosocial correlates of depressed mood during pregnancy. The psychosocial factors examined included background characteristics (socioeconomic status, planning of pregnancy), perceived social support, and coping styles. One hundred fifty pregnant lower income, minority women were recruited from an obstetrics clinic at an urban hospital. Patients completed a battery of psychosocial measures including measures of social support, coping style, and depressed mood. Perceived social support and an avoidant coping style were the most salient psychosocial correlates of depressed mood during pregnancy, accounting for 34% of the variance in the model. More specifically, women who reported less social support satisfaction experienced greater avoidant coping strategies, which was then associated with higher levels of depressed mood. This study suggests that women who perceive less social support satisfaction utilize more avoidant coping strategies and experience greater depression mood. Thus, although these associations are not indicative of a causal relationship, results raise the possibility that women at-risk for depressed mood during pregnancy can be identified by assessing perceived social support and coping styles. Future prospective studies are needed to test the causal relationships among these variables. Clinical interventions to target these psychosocial factors during pregnancy are discussed.Keywords
This publication has 40 references indexed in Scilit:
- Newborns of mothers with depressive symptoms are physiologically less developedInfant Behavior and Development, 1998
- Demographic and Obstetric Risk Factors for Postnatal Psychiatric MorbidityThe British Journal of Psychiatry, 1996
- Active and passive coping strategies in chronic pain patientsPain, 1996
- Chronic stressors, social support, and depression during pregnancyObstetrics & Gynecology, 1995
- Maternal Demographic, Situational and Psychosocial Factors and Their Relationship to Enrollment in Prenatal Care: A Review of the LiteratureWomen & Health, 1992
- Nonfinancial Barriers to Prenatal CareWomen & Health, 1989
- Development of a questionnaire for the assessment of active and passive coping strategies in chronic pain patientsPain, 1987
- Evaluation of a short form of the POMS-Depression scaleJournal of Clinical Psychology, 1985
- The Relation of Life Stress and Social Support to Emotional Disequilibrium During PregnancyResearch in Nursing & Health, 1983
- Nonpsychotic postpartum depression: A review of recent researchClinical Psychology Review, 1982