Negative Life Events and Antenatal Depression among Pregnant Women in Rural China: The Role of Negative Automatic Thoughts.

Yang Wang,Yun Xiao,Zhiyong Qu,Donghua Tian,Xuehan Dong,Xianglei Kong,Fangnan Liu,Xiaoning Jiang,Xuemei Yang,Xiaohua Wang,Dongmei Li

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0167597

Yang Wang, Yun Xiao + Show 9 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0167597

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Abstract

BackgroundFew studies have looked at the relationship between psychological and the mental health status of pregnant women in rural China. The current study aims to explore the potential mediating effect of negative automatic thoughts between negative life events and antenatal depression.MethodsData were collected in June 2012 and October 2012. 495 rural pregnant women were interviewed. Depressive symptoms were measured by the Edinburgh postnatal depression scale, stresses of pregnancy were measured by the pregnancy pressure scale, negative automatic thoughts were measured by the automatic thoughts questionnaire, and negative life events were measured by the life events scale for pregnant women. We used logistic regression and path analysis to test the mediating effect.ResultsThe prevalence of antenatal depression was 13.7%. In the logistic regression, the only socio-demographic and health behavior factor significantly related to antenatal depression was sleep quality. Negative life events were not associated with depression in the fully adjusted model. Path analysis showed that the eventual direct and general effects of negative automatic thoughts were 0.39 and 0.51, which were larger than the effects of negative life events.ConclusionsThis study suggested that there was a potentially significant mediating effect of negative automatic thoughts. Pregnant women who had lower scores of negative automatic thoughts were more likely to suffer less from negative life events which might lead to antenatal depression.

Highlights

Few studies have looked at the relationship between psychological and the mental health status of pregnant women in rural China
Depressive symptoms were measured by the Edinburgh postnatal depression scale, stresses of pregnancy were measured by the pregnancy pressure scale, negative automatic thoughts were measured by the automatic thoughts questionnaire, and negative life events were measured by the life events scale for pregnant women
The only socio-demographic and health behavior factor significantly related to antenatal depression was sleep quality

Summary

Methods

Data were collected in June 2012 and October 2012. 495 rural pregnant women were interviewed. Data were collected in June 2012 and October 2012. In Mianzhu County, the data were collected twice, once in June 2012 and once in October 2012. The data collection in October interviewed a new population of pregnant women. In Gaobeidian County, the data were collected only in October. A self-rating questionnaire was distributed to pregnant women who were receiving routine prenatal care at the hospitals. A signature on the consent form was regarded as a sensitive issue in local cultural context, and participants could reject the investigation because of it. This anonymous study was little risk to participants. Participation was entirely voluntary, and each participant had the right to withdraw or to refuse to provide information at any time during the study

Results

Discussion

Conclusion