Perinatal depression among a global sample of Spanish-speaking women: A sequential-process latent growth-curve analysis

Background: Despite high rates of perinatal depression among women from diverse backgrounds, the understanding of the trajectory of depressive symptoms is limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the trajectories of depressive symptoms from pregnancy to postpartum among an international sample of pregnant women. Methods: Hispanic/Latina (79.2%), Spanish-speaking (81%) pregnant women (N = 1796; Mean age = 28.32, SD = 5.51) representing 78 unique countries/territories participated in this study. A sequential-process latent growth-curve model was estimated to examine general trajectories of depression as well as risk and protective factors that may impact depression levels throughout both the prenatal and postpartum periods. Results: Overall, depression levels decreased significantly across the entire perinatal period, but this decrease slowed over time within both the prenatal and postpartum periods. Spanish-speaking women, those who were partnered, and those with no history of depression reported lower levels of depression during early pregnancy, but this buffer effect reduced over time. Depression levels at delivery best predicted postpartum depression trajectories (i.e., women with higher levels of depression at delivery were at greater risk for depression postpartum). Limitations: Given the emphasis on language and not country or culture of origin this study was limited in its ability to examine the impact of specific cultural norms and expectations on perinatal depression. Conclusions: Given these findings, it is imperative that providers pay attention to, and assess for, depressive symptoms and identified buffers for depression, especially when working with women from diverse communities.