IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0322536.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Trends in prevalence and treatment of antepartum and postpartum depression in the United States: Data from the national health and nutrition examination survey (NHANES) 2007 to 2018

Author

Listed:
  • Rebecca M Gardner
  • Pervez Sultan
  • Rebecca A Bernert
  • Julia F Simard

Abstract

Objectives: (1) To assess the prevalence of depression and treatment rates in antepartum and postpartum women compared to a control group of reproductive-age women over a 12-year period, and (2) To determine demographic characteristics associated with depression. Methods: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data (2007–2018) were used. 5412 controls, 314 antepartum women, and 455 postpartum women were analyzed. Outcomes included depression prevalence, defined as moderate to severe depressive symptoms measured by Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores ≥10 or self-reported antidepressant use; and treatment, defined as antidepressant prescription and/or mental health care services in the past 12 months. Multivariable logistic regression adjusted for age, insurance, race/ethnicity, education, and marital status estimated odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Results: Depression prevalence was 20.2% in controls (95% CI 18.5–21.9), 9.7% in antepartum (6.3–14.1), and 12.8% in postpartum women (9.3–17.1). Mental health care service utilization increased for postpartum women in 2017–2018 (22.0%, 10.6–37.7). In those with depression, control and postpartum groups had similar treatment rates (70%, p = 0.894) compared to antepartum women (51%, p = 0.051). Antidepressant use was the most common treatment reported in all groups. Those who were married or had private insurance had the lowest depression rates in their respective categories. After adjusting for confounders, antepartum and postpartum women had lower odds of depression compared to controls. When the outcome was PHQ-9 ≥ 10 alone, these associations persisted. Conclusion: In a nationally representative sample, depression prevalence was lower in perinatal women compared to reproductive-age controls, and treatment rates were lowest in antepartum women with prevalent depression. Mental health care services may have increased for postpartum women due to the US Preventive Services Task Force 2016 recommendations, which endorsed psychotherapy for postpartum women. Even so, antidepressants were the most reported treatment among perinatal women, despite psychotherapy being the first-line recommended treatment for this population.

Suggested Citation

  • Rebecca M Gardner & Pervez Sultan & Rebecca A Bernert & Julia F Simard, 2025. "Trends in prevalence and treatment of antepartum and postpartum depression in the United States: Data from the national health and nutrition examination survey (NHANES) 2007 to 2018," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 20(4), pages 1-18, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0322536
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0322536
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0322536
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0322536&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0322536?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Alaimo, K. & Briefel, R.R. & Frongillo Jr., E.A. & Olson, C.M., 1998. "Food insufficiency exists in the United States: Results from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III)," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 88(3), pages 419-426.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Anura Amarasinghe & Gerard D'Souza & Cheryl Brown & Tatiana Borisova, 2006. "A Spatial Analysis of Obesity in West Virginia," Working Papers Working Paper 2006-13, Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University.
    2. Oludele Akinloye Akinboade & Segun Adeyemi Adeyefa, 2018. "An Analysis of Variance of Food Security by its Main Determinants Among the Urban Poor in the City of Tshwane, South Africa," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 137(1), pages 61-82, May.
    3. repec:rri:wpaper:200613 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Helen Lee & Sarah Shea Crowne & Melanie Estarziau & Keith Kranker & Charles Michalopoulos & Anne Warren & Tod Mijanovich & Jill H. Filene & Anne Duggan & Virginia Knox, "undated". "The Effects of Home Visiting on Prenatal Health, Birth Outcomes, and Health Care Use in the First Year of Life: Final Implementation and Impact Findings from the Mother and Infant Home Visiting Progra," Mathematica Policy Research Reports a9626a8d90bf4f01811d0c9d7, Mathematica Policy Research.
    5. Robert Gajda & Marzena Jeżewska-Zychowicz, 2021. "The importance of social financial support in reducing food insecurity among elderly people," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(3), pages 717-727, June.
    6. Swann, Christopher A., 2017. "Household history, SNAP participation, and food insecurity," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 1-9.
    7. Janet Currie, 2003. "US Food and Nutrition Programs," NBER Chapters, in: Means-Tested Transfer Programs in the United States, pages 199-290, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Haobin Fan & Xuanyi Nie & Sarah Wilson, 2023. "Mental Health, Material Possessions, and Social Capital During COVID-19: A Study of the United States Urban Working-Age Population," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(1), pages 561-599, February.
    9. Alisha Coleman-Jensen, 2011. "Working for Peanuts: Nonstandard Work and Food Insecurity Across Household Structure," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 84-97, March.
    10. Pavel Ciaian & Andrej Cupák & Ján Pokrivčák & Marian Rizov, 2018. "Food consumption and diet quality choices of Roma in Romania: a counterfactual analysis," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 10(2), pages 437-456, April.
    11. Sabikun Nahar Himi & Mohammad Amirul Islam1 & Shankar Majumder, 2020. "Determinants Of Food Insecurity Status Of Fisheries Community In Coastal Regions Of Bangladesh," Bangladesh Journal of Agricultural Economics, Bangladesh Agricultural University, vol. 41(2), December.
    12. Joshi, Niraj Prakash & Maharjan, Keshav Lall, 2007. "Assessment of food self-sufficiency and food security situation in Nepal," MPRA Paper 35385, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. Joshua Winicki & Kyle Jemison, 2003. "Food Insecurity and Hunger in the Kindergarten Classroom: Its Effect on Learning and Growth," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 21(2), pages 145-157, April.
    14. Tsai, Alexander C. & Bangsberg, David R. & Emenyonu, Nneka & Senkungu, Jude K. & Martin, Jeffrey N. & Weiser, Sheri D., 2011. "The social context of food insecurity among persons living with HIV/AIDS in rural Uganda," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 73(12), pages 1717-1724.
    15. Carter, Kristie N. & Kruse, Kerri & Blakely, Tony & Collings, Sunny, 2011. "The association of food security with psychological distress in New Zealand and any gender differences," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(9), pages 1463-1471, May.
    16. Kaipeng Wang & Nicholas J. Bishop, 2019. "Social support and monetary resources as protective factors against food insecurity among older Americans: findings from a health and retirement study," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 11(4), pages 929-939, August.
    17. Ami N. Seivwright & Zoe Callis & Paul Flatau, 2020. "Food Insecurity and Socioeconomic Disadvantage in Australia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-13, January.
    18. Gesemia Nelson, 2011. "Measuring Poverty: The Official U.S. Measure and Material Hardship," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 3(3), pages 1-35, September.
    19. Wilson, Norbert L. W. & Zheng, Yuqing & Burney, Shaheer & Kaiser, Harry M., 2016. "Do Grocery Food Sales Taxes Cause Food Insecurity?," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 235324, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    20. Heflin, Colleen M. & Siefert, Kristine & Williams, David R., 2005. "Food insufficiency and women's mental health: Findings from a 3-year panel of welfare recipients," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(9), pages 1971-1982, November.
    21. J. P. Derrickson & J. E.L. Anderson & A. G. Fisher, "undated". "Concurrent Validity of the Face Valid Food Security Measure," Institute for Research on Poverty Discussion Papers 1206-00, University of Wisconsin Institute for Research on Poverty.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0322536. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: plosone (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.