The goal of this study was to determine if weight gain during pregnancy has an effect on postpartum depression (PPD). Data were collected in a web survey from 238 women who had recently given birth. The data were analyzed for the total sample and also by body weight category before pregnancy. Findings revealed that weight gain was inversely associated with PPD for the obese women in our sample. For these women, the less weight they gained, the more likely they were to experience PPD. History of depression, partner support, and age were also predictors of PPD.
AllonN (1981) The stigma of overweight in everyday life. In: WolmanBJ (ed.) Psychological Aspects of Obesity: A Handbook. New York: Van Nostrand Rheinhold, 130–174.
2.
American Psychological Association (2000) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. DSM-IV-TR, 4th edn, text revision. Washington, DC: The Association.
3.
BeckCT (2006) Postpartum depression: It isn’t just the blues. American Journal of Nursing106(5): 40–50.
4.
BhattacharyaSCampbellDMListonWABhattacharyaS (2007) Effects of Body Mass Index on pregnancy outcomes in nulliparous women delivering singleton babies. BMC Public Health7: 168–176.
5.
BodnarLMWisnerKL (2005) Nutrition and depression: Implications for improving mental health among childbearing-aged women. Biological Psychiatry58(9): 679–685.
6.
BodnarLMWisnerKLMoses-KolkoESitDKYHanusaBH (2009) Prepregnancy Body Mass Index, gestational weight gain, and the likelihood of major depressive disorder during pregnancy. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry70(9): 1290–1296.
7.
ClarkASkouterisHWertheimEHPaxtonSJand MilgromJ (2009) The relationship between depression and body dissatisfaction across pregnancy and the postpartum: A prospective study. Journal of Health Psychology14(1): 27–35.
8.
ClarkMOgdenJ (1999) The impact of pregnancy on eating behaviour and aspects of weight concern. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders23(10): 1101–1102.
9.
CoxJLHoldenJMSagovskyR (1987) Detection of postnatal depression: Development of the 10-item Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. British Journal of Psychiatry150(6): 782–786.
10.
CutronaCE (1984) Social support and stress in the transition to parenthood. Journal of Abnormal Psychology93(4): 378–390.
11.
CutronaCETroutmanBR (1986) Social support, infant temperament, and parenting self-efficacy: A mediational model of postpartum depression. Child Development57(6): 1507–1518.
12.
DaviesKWardleJ (1994) Body image and dieting in pregnancy. Journal of Psychosomatic Research38(8): 787–799.
13.
DrakeMLVerhulstDFawcettJBargerDF (1988) Spouses’ body image changes during and after pregnancy: A replication in Canada. Image: The Journal of Nursing Scholarship20(2): 88–92.
14.
EarleS (2003) Bumps and boobs: Fatness and women’s experiences of pregnancy. Women’s Studies International Forum26(3): 245–252.
15.
FlegalKMCarrollMDOdgenCLJohnsonCL (2002) Prevalence and trends in obesity among US adults, 1999–2000. Journal of the American Medical Association288(14): 1773–1778.
16.
FoxPYamaguchiC (1997) Body image change in pregnancy: A comparison of normal weight and overweight primigravidas. Birth24(1): 35–40.
17.
FranzoiSLShieldsSA (1984) The body esteem scale: Multidimensional structure and sex differences in a college population. Journal of Personality Assessment48(2): 173–178.
18.
GauthierLGuayFSenecalCPierceT (2010) Women’s depressive symptoms during the transition to motherhood: The role of competence, relatedness, and autonomy. Journal of Health Psychology15(8): 1145–1156.
19.
GenevieLMargoliesE (1987) The Motherhood Report: How Women Feel about Being Mothers. New York: Macmillan.
20.
HandfieldBBellR (1996) What are popular magazines telling young women about pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding and parenting?Australian College of Midwives Incorporated Journal9(3): 10–14.
21.
HendersonACHarmonSMClineKMC (under review) ‘I want to eat, but I can’t’: A qualitative analysis of pregnant women and their surveillance of weight gain during pregnancy. Qualitative Sociology Review.
22.
HerringSJRich-EdwardsJWOkenERifas- ShimanSLKleinmanKPGillmanMW (2008) Association of postpartum depression with weight retention 1 year after Childbirth. Obesity16(6): 1296–1301.
23.
HisnerP (1986) Concerns of multiparas during the second postpartum week. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing16(3): 195–203.
24.
IstvanJZavelaKWeidnerG (1992) Body weight and psychological distress in NHANES I. International Journal of Obesity16(12): 999–1003.
25.
JohnsonSBurrowsAWilliamsonI (2004) ‘Does my bump look big in this?’: The meaning of bodily changes for the first time mother-to-be. Journal of Health Psychology9(3): 361–374.
26.
KesslerRC (2003) Epidemiology of women and depression. Journal of Affective Disorders74(1): 5–13.
27.
KimSYDietzPMEnglandLMorrowBCallaghanWM (2007) Trends in pre-pregnancy obesity in nine states, 1993–2003. Obesity15(4): 986–993.
28.
LaCoursiereDYBakshLBloebaumLVarnerMW (2006) Maternal Body Mass Index and self-reported postpartum depressive symptoms. Maternal and Child Health Journal10(4): 385–390.
O’HaraMWSwainAM (1996) Rates and risk of postpartum depression- a meta-analysis. International Review of Psychiatry8(1): 37–54.
31.
O’HaraMWNeunaberDJZekoskiEM (1984) Prospective study of postpartum depression: Prevalence, course, and predictive factors. Journal of Abnormal Psychology93(2): 158–171.
32.
OnyikeCUCrumRMLeeHBLyketsosCGEatonWW (2003) Is obesity associated with major depression? Results from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. American Journal of Epidemiology158(12): 1139–1147.
33.
PalinkasLAWingardDLBarrett-ConnorE (1996) Depressive symptoms in overweight and obese older adults: A test of the ‘jolly fat’ hypothesis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research40(1): 59–66.
34.
PaykelESEmmsEMFletcherJRassabyES (1990) Life events and social support in puerperal depression. British Journal of Psychiatry136: 339–346.
35.
RobertsREStrawbridgeWJDelegerSKaplanGA (2002) Are the fat more jolly?Annals of Behavioral Medicine24(3): 169–180.
36.
RobertsonEGraceSWallingtonTStewartDE (2004) Antenatal risk factors for postpartum depression: A synthesis of recent literature. General Hospital Psychiatry26(4): 289–295.
37.
RöskeKSchumannAHannöverW. (2008) Postpartum smoking cessation and relapse prevention intervention: A structural equation modeling application to behavioral and non-behavioral outcomes of a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Health Psychology13(4): 556–558.
38.
RossCE (1994) Overweight and depression. Journal of Health and Social Behavior35(March): 63–78.
39.
SingletonRAStraitsBC (2010) Approaches to Social Research. New York: Oxford University Press.
40.
SobalJ (1984) Marriage, obesity and dieting. Marriage & Family Review7(1&2): 115–140.
41.
SobalJStunkardA (1989) Socioeconomic status and obesity: A review of the literature. Psychological Bulletin105(2): 260–275.
42.
StewartAL (1982) The reliability and validity of self-reported weight and height. Journal of Chronic Diseases35(4): 295–309.
43.
StoppardJM (2000) Understanding depression in women: Limitations of mainstream approaches and a material-discursive alternative. In: UssherJM (ed.) Women’s Health: Contemporary International Perspectives. Leicester: BPS Books, 405–414.
44.
StrangVRSullivanPL (1985) Body image attitudes during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Journal of Obstetric Gynecologic and Neonatal Nursing14(4): 332–337.
45.
UssherJM (2000) Women and mental illness. In: SherrLSt LawrenceJ (eds) Women, Health and the Mind. Chichester: Wiley, 77–90.
46.
WisnerKLParryBLPiontekCM (2002) Clinical practice: Postpartum depression. New England Journal of Medicine347(3): 194–199.
