Pregnancy planning and partner support: Protective factors for women's perinatal wellbeing in Sweden?

Partner support and pregnancy planning are recognized as supportive factors for perinatal wellbeing. Following the biopsychosocial model of health, this study investigates how the planning of a pregnancy and partner support relates to depressive symptoms in late pregnancy.

Using data from the Swedish Mom2B mHealth app (n = 3696), we applied structural equation modelling to assess the pathways from pregnancy planning and partner support, in early pregnancy to depressive symptoms in late pregnancy. We modelled the planning of parental leave division, physical symptoms, and stress as mediators. As an additional sensitivity analysis, we ran a model interacting the predictors with the employment status.

Partner support had no significant direct effect on depressive symptoms, but it showed significant indirect effects via stress (β = -0.10) and leave sharing (β = -0.004). Pregnancy planning had stronger indirect effects via stress (β = -0.8) than parental leave sharing (β = -0.002). Pregnancy planning and partner support were also associated to each other (β = 0.18) and, more planned pregnancies were linked with the partner taking a shorter parental leave. The strongest pathways linked physical pregnancy symptoms and stress to depressive symptoms. Interaction models showed that those with an insecure employment status experienced more stress and depression, but that the disparities between the groups were alleviated, when women perceived greater support from their partner.

Partner support and pregnancy planning impact maternal mental health through indirect psychosocial and physical pathways, emphasizing the value of addressing stress and physical pregnancy symptoms in antenatal care.