| Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools. |
Marriage, Intimate Support and Depression during PregnancyA Study of Inner-City WomenUnited States Air Force & Kent State University, USA
Kent State University, USA
Kent State University, USA
Akron General Medical Center and Akron City Medical Center, Akron, Ohio & Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine (NEOUCOM), USA We examined the influence of stress, intimate support and marital status on postpartum depression among 189 African American and European American, inner-city women. We selected women in three common categories: (1) married, (2) cohabitating with partner, and (3) romantically involved, but not cohabitating. Women were interviewed on two occasions during pregnancy and seven to nine weeks following delivery. Women who were not married and did not live with their partner reported less intimacy with their partner and greater depression and increases in depression. Both marriage and cohabitation limited womens depression level. Married women also increased in intimacy during their pregnancy, but cohabitating women did not. Results were independent of ethnic status, age and income. The importance of the findings given the rise in single parenthood was discussed.
Key Words: ethnicity intimacy pregnancy social support stress
Journal of Health Psychology, Vol. 2, No. 4,
457-469 (1997) |
|||