Coping Styles, Postpartum Depression, and Anxiety in Romanian Women: A Cross-Sectional Study Using the Brief COPE...

Area of Science:

• Perinatal mental health
• Psychiatry
• Public health

Background:

• Postpartum depression and anxiety impact up to 20% of women globally.
• Eastern Europe, including Romania, has understudied perinatal mental health.
• Religiosity and coping strategies may influence perinatal mental health in Romania.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize coping styles, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and religiosity in postpartum women in Romania.
• To examine the associations between coping dimensions and psychological outcomes.
• To investigate the influence of religiosity and coping on perinatal mental health in a unique cultural context.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 201 postpartum women in two western Romanian counties.
• Data collected via questionnaires (COPE Inventory, EPDS, PHQ-9, GAD-7, RCI-10) and medical records.
• Statistical analyses included Pearson correlations and multiple regression in RStudio.

Main Results:

• Prevalence of possible postpartum depression was 32.8%, with no significant regional difference.
• Avoidant coping was the strongest independent predictor of depressive symptoms (β = 2.82).
• Emotion-focused coping showed a protective effect (β = -2.97), while religiosity was not a significant predictor.

Conclusions:

• Postpartum depression rates in Romania are comparable to international figures.
• Avoidant coping is a key modifiable risk factor for postpartum depression.
• Integrating coping assessment and interventions targeting avoidant strategies is recommended for Romanian perinatal care.