Anxiety symptoms and disorders at eight weeks postpartum

Although the prevalence, risk factors for, and consequences of postpartum depression have been studied extensively, little work has examined the nature of postpartum anxiety disorders in community samples. In the present study, 147 community women completed a diagnostic interview and a battery of self-report inventories approximately eight weeks after childbirth. The rate of generalized anxiety disorder was elevated as compared to the rate in women representative of the general population. Depending on the particular domain of anxiety being considered, 10-50% of women reporting anxiety symptoms endorsed comorbid depressive symptoms. In hierarchical multiple regression analyses, different combinations of demographic and vulnerability variables predicted symptoms of somatic anxiety, social anxiety, and depression, although there were no significant predictors of worry symptoms. In addition, number of children, depression, and social anxiety predicted postpartum relationship distress. These results suggest that postpartum anxiety disorders are more common than postpartum depression and worthy of systematic study.