Our objective was to expand previous research examining the course of anxiety and the comorbidity of anxiety and depression during pregnancy... Show moreOur objective was to expand previous research examining the course of anxiety and the comorbidity of anxiety and depression during pregnancy and postpartum. The sample comprised 80 pregnant female participants varying in age, ethnicity, and primary diagnosis recruited through the Division of General Obstetrics and Gynecology at NMFF and PAC during routine obstetric visits or by advertisements placed on the internet via the website Craigslist. Clinical data were collected once during the second or third trimester of pregnancy and once at 6 weeks postpartum. Participants were asked to complete the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS), the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptoms (QIDS), the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), the Patient Health Questionnaire – 9 (PHQ-9), the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), the Zung Self-report Anxiety Scale (SAS), the Social Support Questionnaire - Short Form (SSQ-SF), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Results indicated that prenatal anxiety partially mediated the relationship between prenatal depression and postpartum depression. Additionally, prenatal anxiety fully mediated the relationship between prenatal social support and postpartum depression as well as the relationship between prenatal stress and postpartum depression. Ph.D. in Psychology, December 2011 Show less
