Sociotropic and Autonomous Personality and Stressful Life Events as Predictors of Depressive Symptoms in the Postpartum Period

Abstract

Measures of stressful life events, sociotropic and autonomous personality, and depressive symptoms were completed by 76 women in the last trimester of pregnancy and 8-weeks postpartum. During pregnancy, women with strong sociotropic or autonomous personality style, or high levels of negative life events (or perceived loss resulting from events) in sociotropic or autonomous domains, tended to report higher levels of depressive symptoms. Cross-sectionally, there was some support for the cognitive diathesis-stress model, but not a congruency model, of depression. Longitudinal results indicated that high levels of sociotropic personality style, sociotropic loss, or autonomous loss resulting from events significantly predicted increases in depressive symptoms from pregnancy to the postpartum period. The interaction between personality styles and life events did not predict depressive symptoms longitudinally, either congruently or incongruently. Negative automatic thoughts mediated the direct effects of personality and life events upon depressive symptoms.