Transition to Motherhood: A Study on the Association between Somatic Symptoms during Pregnancy and Post-Partum Anxiety and Depression Symptoms

Renata Tambelli, Giulia Ballarotto (), Carmen Trumello and Alessandra Babore
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Renata Tambelli: Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Giulia Ballarotto: Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Carmen Trumello: Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, D’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
Alessandra Babore: Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, D’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 19, 1-12

Abstract: Several authors found that somatic symptoms during pregnancy such as nausea, vomiting, and levels of sleep, and fear of childbirth were associated with women’s post-partum psychopathological difficulties. The present study aimed to verify whether fear of childbirth can mediate the relationship between some somatic symptoms experienced during pregnancy (i.e., nausea, vomiting, and daily sleep duration) and the post-partum depressive and anxious symptoms. N = 258 mothers of children between 3 and 6 months of age filled out self-report questionnaires assessing somatic symptoms during pregnancy, fear of childbirth, and anxious and depressive symptoms during post-partum. Results showed that levels of vomiting during pregnancy (but not nausea and daily sleep duration) was associated with post-partum depression and anxiety. Furthermore, findings showed that fear of childbirth partially mediated the relationships between the levels of vomiting during pregnancy and post-partum state anxiety and depression. These results can have several clinical implications, allowing to implement preventive programs for post-partum depression, considering vomiting and fear of childbirth as important risk factors.

Keywords: motherhood; post-partum; depression; anxiety; fear of childbirth; nausea; vomiting; sleepiness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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