Background
Method
Sample
Questionnaire
Measurement of postnatal anxiety and depression using the DASS-21
Measurement of stressful life events and social health issues
Analysis
Results
Response & characteristics of the sample
No. | % | |
---|---|---|
Maternal age (years) | ||
16-24 | 416 | 9.9 |
25-29 | 1053 | 25.0 |
30-34 | 1604 | 38.1 |
≥35 | 1138 | 27.0 |
Relationship status
| ||
Married | 3318 | 76.3 |
Living with partner | 835 | 19.2 |
Not living with partner/divorced/separated/widowed/single | 198 | 4.5 |
Indigenous status
| ||
Non-Aboriginal | 4051 | 99.2 |
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander | 31 | 0.8 |
Country of birth
| ||
Australia | 3521 | 81.5 |
Overseas - English speaking | 272 | 6.3 |
Overseas - Non English speaking background | 526 | 12.2 |
Education
| ||
Completed secondary school | 3429 | 79.3 |
Did not complete secondary school | 894 | 20.7 |
Equivalised Household Income*
| ||
< $20,000 | 938 | 23.9 |
$20,000-$40,000 | 1958 | 50.6 |
> $40,000 | 979 | 25.5 |
Health Care Card
| ||
No | 3597 | 83.1 |
Yes | 734 | 16.9 |
Private health insurance for birth
| ||
No | 2250 | 51.8 |
Yes | 2092 | 48.2 |
Parity
| ||
Multiparous | 2425 | 55.7 |
Primiparous | 1941 | 44.3 |
Method of birth
| ||
Spontaneous vaginal birth | 2338 | 53.7 |
Instrumental vaginal birth | 602 | 13.8 |
Caesarean section, no labour | 801 | 18.4 |
Caesarean section, in labour | 615 | 14.1 |
Birthweight of the infant
| ||
< 2500g | 179 | 4.3 |
2500-3499g | 2023 | 48.7 |
3500-3999g | 1390 | 33.5 |
≥4000 | 560 | 13.5 |
Plurality
| ||
Singleton | 4275 | 98.4 |
Twin | 64 | 1.5 |
Triplet | 1 | < 0.1 |
Depression and anxiety
Stressful life events and social health issues
Social health issue | Number | % |
---|---|---|
Emotional stressors
| ||
Major illness or injury of close family member or friend | 645 | 14.8 |
Death of a close family member/friend | 440 | 10.1 |
You had a major illness or injury | 216 | 4.9 |
Relationship stressors
| ||
There was serious conflict between members of your family | 432 | 9.9 |
You started a new close personal relationship, moved in with your partner or got married | 110 | 2.5 |
You or your partner had legal troubles and were involved in a court case | 111 | 2.5 |
You or your partner had trouble with alcohol or illicit drugs | 94 | 2.2 |
Separation or divorce | 64 | 1.5 |
Your partner said he/she did not want your baby | 46 | 1.1 |
You or your partner had trouble with gambling | 27 | 0.6 |
Traumatic stressors
| ||
You were humiliated or emotional abused in other ways by your partner or ex-partner | 149 | 3.4 |
You were kicked, hit, slapped or otherwise physically hurt by your partner or ex-partner | 55 | 1.3 |
You were forced to take part in unwanted sex | 16 | 0.4 |
Someone else (other than your partner or ex-partner) pushed, grabbed, shoved, kicked or hit you | 15 | 0.3 |
You were homeless | 7 | 0.2 |
Financial stressors
| ||
You had a lot of bill's that I couldn't pay | 522 | 12.0 |
You moved to a new house/new place to live | 419 | 9.6 |
You were unable to return to work as planned | 225 | 5.2 |
You didn't have enough money for food | 192 | 4.4 |
Your partner loss his or her job | 137 | 3.2 |
No social health issues (n = 2238) | One - two social health issues (n = 1646) | Three or more social health issues (n = 430) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
Maternal age (yrs)
| ||||||
16-24 | 140 | 33.7 | 178 | 42.9 | 97 | 23.4 |
25-29 | 528 | 50.2 | 410 | 39.0 | 113 | 10.7 |
30-34 | 917 | 57.3 | 579 | 36.2 | 105 | 6.6 |
≥35 | 621 | 54.6 | 423 | 37.2 | 93 | 8.2 |
Relationship status
| ||||||
Married | 1868 | 56.3 | 1208 | 36.4 | 240 | 7.2 |
Living with partner | 353 | 42.3 | 359 | 42.9 | 123 | 14.7 |
Not living with partner/single/widowed/divorced/separated | 54 | 27.5 | 76 | 38.8 | 66 | 33.7 |
Country of birth
| ||||||
Australia | 1807 | 51.4 | 1346 | 38.3 | 365 | 10.4 |
Overseas - English speaking | 154 | 56.8 | 102 | 37.6 | 15 | 5.5 |
Overseas - NESB | 302 | 57.6 | 175 | 33.4 | 47 | 8.9 |
Indigenous status
| ||||||
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander | 9 | 29.0 | 12 | 3.7 | 10 | 32.3 |
Not Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander | 2120 | 52.4 | 1530 | 37.8 | 395 | 9.8 |
Education
| ||||||
Completed secondary school | 1858 | 54.3 | 1271 | 37.1 | 295 | 8.6 |
Did not complete secondary school | 405 | 45.3 | 357 | 39.9 | 131 | 14.7 |
Equivalised household income*
| ||||||
< $20,000 | 366 | 39.0 | 386 | 41.1 | 186 | 19.8 |
$20,000-$40,000 | 1084 | 55.4 | 721 | 36.8 | 152 | 7.8 |
> $41,000 | 578 | 59.2 | 355 | 36.3 | 44 | 4.5 |
Health care card
| ||||||
No | 1919 | 56.6 | 1251 | 36.9 | 221 | 6.5 |
Yes | 358 | 37.8 | 382 | 40.3 | 207 | 21.9 |
Private health insurance for birth
| ||||||
Yes | 1203 | 57.5 | 767 | 36.7 | 121 | 5.8 |
No | 1073 | 37.8 | 866 | 38.6 | 307 | 13.7 |
Parity
| ||||||
Multiparous | 1294 | 53.4 | 890 | 36.7 | 238 | 9.8 |
Primiparous | 989 | 51.1 | 756 | 39.0 | 192 | 9.9 |
Association between depression, anxiety and social health
Depressed
DASS ≥10
(n = 692) | OR (95% CI) of depression | Adjusted OR (95% CI) |
Anxious
DASS ≥8
(n = 505) | OR (95% CI) of anxiety | Adjusted OR (95% CI) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | |||||
Stressful life events & social
health issues experienced in 6
months postnatally
| ||||||||
None | 241 | 11.3 | 1.00 Ref | 1.00 Ref | 170 | 7.9 | 1.00 Ref | 1.00 Ref |
One-two | 282 | 18.5 |
1.78 (1.5-2.1)
|
1.75 (1.4-2.1)
| 214 | 13.9 |
1.88 (1.5-2.3)
|
1.82 (1.5-2.3)
|
Three or more | 169 | 43.0 |
5.95 (4.7-7.6)
|
5.37 (4.1-6.9)
| 121 | 30.6 |
5.14 (3.9-6.7)
|
4.27 (3.2-5.6)
|
Maternal age (yrs)
| ||||||||
16-24 | 97 | 25.0 |
1.70 (1.3-2.2)
| 1.14 (0.8-1.6) | 77 | 20.0 |
2.01 (1.5-2.7) | 1.15 (0.8-1.6) |
25-29 | 173 | 17.1 | 1.05 (0.8-1.3) | 0.97 (0.8-1.2) | 134 | 13.1 | 1.22 (0.9-1.5) | 1.03 (0.8-1.4) |
30-34 | 254 | 16.4 | 1.00 Ref | 1.00 Ref | 172 | 11.0 | 1.00 Ref | 1.00 Ref |
≥35 | 168 | 15.1 | 0.91 (0.7-1.1) | 0.82 (0.7-1.1) | 122 | 10.9 | 0.99 (0.8-1.3) | 0.90 (0.7-1.2) |
Relationship status
| ||||||||
Married | 480 | 15.4 | 1.00 Ref | 1.00 Ref | 350 | 11.2 | 1.00 Ref | 1.00 Ref |
Living with partner | 163 | 21.2 |
1.47 (1.2-1.8)
| 1.24 (0.9 -1.5) | 118 | 15.2 |
1.42 (1.1-1.8)
| 1.09 (0.8-1.4) |
Not living with partner/single/ | 49 | 27.8 |
2.12 (1.5-2.9)
| 1.17 (0.8-1.7) | 37 | 21.1 |
2.12 (1.4-3.1)
| 0.99 (0.6-1.6) |
widowed/divorced/separated | ||||||||
Country of birth
| ||||||||
Australia | 563 | 16.8 | 1.00 Ref | 1.00 Ref | 403 | 11.9 | 1.00 Ref | 1.00 Ref |
Overseas - English speaking | 42 | 16.2 | 0.95 (0.7-1.3) | 1.12 (0.8-1.6) | 20 | 7.7 | 0.61 (0.4-1.0) | 0.69 (0.4-1.1) |
Overseas - NESB | 87 | 19.3 | 1.18 (0.9-1.5) |
1.34 (1.0-1.8)
| 82 | 18.3 |
1.65 (1.3-2.1)
|
1.84 (1.4-2.4) |
Education
| ||||||||
Completed secondary school | 524 | 16.2 | 1.00 Ref | 1.00 Ref | 361 | 11.1 | 1.00 Ref | 1.00 Ref |
Did not complete secondary school | 168 | 20.5 |
1.33 (1.1-1.6)
| 1.05 (0.8-1.3) | 144 | 17.5 |
1.70 (1.4-2.1)
| 1.36 (0.9-1.6)
|
Health care card
| ||||||||
No | 487 | 15.2 | 1.00 Ref | 1.00 Ref | 328 | 10.2 | 1.00 Ref | 1.00 Ref |
Yes | 205 | 23.9 |
1.74 (1.5-2.1)
| 1.15 (0.9-1.4) | 177 | 20.5 |
2.26 (1.8-2.8)
|
1.51 (1.2-1.9)
|
Parity
| ||||||||
Multiparous | 416 | 18.4 | 1.00 Ref | 1.00 Ref | 289 | 12.7 | 1.00 Ref | 1.00 Ref |
Primiparous | 276 | 15.3 |
0.80 (0.7-0.9) |
0.72 (0.6 -0.9) | 216 | 11.9 | 0.92 (0.8-1.1) | 0.86 (0.7-1.1) |
No psychological morbidity No. (%) | Co-morbid anxiety & depression No. (%) | Unadjusted OR (95% CI) | Adjusted OR (95% CI) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stressful life events & social health issues experienced in 6 months postnatally | ||||
None | 2040 (95.5) | 95 (4.5) | 1.00 Ref | 1.00 Ref |
One-two | 1395 (91.6) | 128 (8.4) |
1.97 (1.5-2.6)
|
1.88 (1.4-2.5)
|
Three or more | 298 (75.5) | 96 (24.4) |
6.92 (5.1-9.4)
|
5.77 (4.1-8.0)
|
Maternal age (yrs)
| ||||
16-24 | 331 (85.9) | 54 (14.1) |
2.09 (1.5-2.9)
| 1.15 (0.8-1.7) |
25-29 | 931 (92.0) | 81 (8.0) | 1.11 (0.8-1.5) | 0.77 (0.7-1.3) |
30-34 | 1435 (92.7) | 112 (7.3) | 1.00 Ref | 1.00 Ref |
≥35 | 1036 (93.5) | 72 (6.5) | 0.89 (0.6-1.2) | 0.78 (0.6-1.1) |
Relationship status
| ||||
Married | 2984 (93.1) | 214 (6.9) | 1.00 Ref | 1.00 Ref |
Living with partner | 688 (89.7) | 79 (10.3) |
1.55 (1.2-2.1)
| 1.14 (0.8-1.6) |
Not living with partner/single/widowed/divorced/separated | 151 (85.3) | 26 (14.7) |
2.32 (1.5-3.6)
| 0.96 (0.6-1.7) |
Country of birth
| ||||
Australia | 3090 (92.3) | 257 (7.7) | 1.00 Ref | 1.00 Ref |
Overseas - English speaking | 242 (93.8) | 16 (6.2) | 0.79 (0.5-1.3) | 0.97 (0.6-1.6) |
Overseas - NESB | 401 (89.7) | 46 (10.3) | 1.37 (0.9-1.9) |
1.56 (1.1-2.2)
|
Education
| ||||
Completed secondary school | 3011 (93.1) | 225 (6.9) | 1.00 Ref | 1.00 |
Did not complete secondary school | 722 (88.5) | 94 (11.5) |
1.74 (1.4-2.2)
| 1.32 (0.9-1.7) |
Health care card
| ||||
No | 2990 (93.7) | 202 (6.3) | 1.00 Ref | 1.00 Ref |
Yes | 743 (86.4) | 117 (13.6) |
2.33 (1.8-2.9)
| 1.44 (0.9-1.9) |
Parity
| ||||
Multiparous | 2066 (91.6) | 189 (8.4) | 1.00 Ref | 1.00 Ref |
Primiparous | 1667 (92.8) | 130 (7.2) | 0.85 (0.7-1.1) | 0.77 (0.6-1.1) |