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Updated: May 18, 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
Locus of control and prenatal depression
Amber Richardson1, Tiffany Field, Rae Newton
1Fielding Graduate University, United States.
Prenatal depression is a significant predictor of postpartum depression and is detrimental to fetal development. Locus of control was examined in this study as a potential predictor of prenatal depression. One hundred and thirty-three rural pregnant women recruited from obstetricians' offices completed the Levenson Scale on Locus of Control and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Multiple regression analysis indicated that after controlling for previous or current mental health problems, the External Locus of Control-Chance Scale accounted for 17% of the variance in depression scores.
Prenatal depression is a significant predictor of postpartum depression and is detrimental to fetal development. Locus of control was examined in this study as a potential predictor of prenatal depression. One hundred and thirty-three rural pregnant women recruited from obstetricians' offices completed the Levenson Scale on Locus of Control and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Multiple regression analysis indicated that after controlling for previous or current mental health problems, the External Locus of Control-Chance Scale accounted for 17% of the variance in depression scores.
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