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Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
Published on: June 13, 2021
Risk factors for postpartum depression: a retrospective investigation
Sarah J Breese McCoy1, J Martin Beal, Barbara Saunders
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences and College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery, Tulsa 74107-1898, USA. sjmccoy98@aol.com
Objective:
To search for a possible correlation between incidence of postpartum depression (PPD) and any of the following factors recorded in patient charts at the routine, 4-week postnatal visit: age, breast-feeding status, smoker/nonsmoker, marital status, preexisting depression and type of delivery.
Study Design:
Data were obtained from 588 obstetric charts for women who gave birth between June 1, 2003, and June 1, 2004, at 3 university clinics in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Results:
Prior history of depression and smoking cigarettes were significant risk factors for an Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale score of 13 or higher, indicating probable PPD.
Conclusion:
Our data and previous findings warrant continued investigation in a larger study to clearly delineate these and other possible risk factors for PPD and to facilitate prophylactic patient education and intervention strategies.
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