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Prevalence of generalized anxiety at eight weeks postpartum
A Wenzel1, E N Haugen, L C Jackson
1Department of Psychology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks 58202-8380, USA. amy_wenzel@und.nodak.edu
Objective:
This study investigated the prevalence and nature of generalized anxiety symptoms in women who were eight weeks postpartum.
Method:
A community-based sample of 68 postpartum women completed an interview assessing generalized anxiety disorder and depression and a self-report measure of worry associated with concerns relevant to postpartum women.
Results:
Three women (4.4%) met DSM-IV criteria for generalized anxiety disorder, and an additional 19 women (27.9%) endorsed subsyndromal difficulties with generalized anxiety. Approximately one third of these women endorsed symptoms of depression. In contrast, only two woman met criteria for major depressive disorder.
Conclusion:
Postpartum generalized anxiety has a higher prevalence than postpartum depression.