Abstract
Individuals with low self-esteem are vulnerable to depression. Depressed individuals process information related to themselves in a distorted way, thereby negatively affecting their self-esteem. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between depression and self-esteem in postnatal Korean women using longitudinal data and an autoregressive cross-lagged analysis. This study was conducted in postpartum women who had consistently participated in the Panel Study on Korean Children (PSKC) from Wave 1 through to Wave 8. The study results showed that depression and self-esteem in postnatal women had a significant positive correlation over time. Moreover, the longitudinal relationship between depression and self-esteem in postnatal women was affected by weight gain during pregnancy. This study overcomes the limitations of cross-sectional studies by using longitudinal data on the correlations between depression and self-esteem in postnatal women; the study findings may be used in developing weight control programs for pregnant and postnatal women.
Highlights
30–70% of women who have given birth experience lowered self-esteem after childbirth due to various reasons
The study results showed that depression and self-esteem in postnatal women had a significant positive correlation over time
The longitudinal relationship between depression and self-esteem in postnatal women was affected by weight gain during pregnancy
Summary
30–70% of women who have given birth experience lowered self-esteem after childbirth due to various reasons. Women who have positive self-esteem can overcome postpartum depression, those with a negative self-image experience worsened postpartum depression [2]. According to the cognitive vulnerability model of depression, which states that individuals with low self-esteem become vulnerable to depression when they experience failure or rejection by other people, an individual’s self-esteem is closely related to depression [3]. On the other hand, according to the wound model, depressed individuals process information related to themselves in a distorted way, thereby negatively affecting their self-esteem [4]. Women with severe depression after childbirth are highly likely to have low self-esteem [7]; healthcare professionals should be alert to the fact that self-esteem and depression in postnatal women need to be both monitored and managed [8]
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