Postpartum depression and related psychosocial variables in Hong Kong Chinese women: Findings from a prospective study

Research on predictors of postpartum depression (PPD) in Hong Kong (HK) Chinese women is scant. A prospective study with 385 HK Chinese postpartum women was conducted to identify correlations between PPD and demographic variables, and antenatal depression and Psychosocial variables, and to determine which of these variables were predictors of PPD. Using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), we classified 19.8% of participants as postnatally depressed. Fifty-six percent of the variance in PPD was explained by social support and stress factors. However, social support factors accounted for only a small Percentage of that variance. The major predictors were antenatal depression, postnatal perceived stress, and childcare stress. HK women may benefit from a culturally appropriate intervention focused on reducing stress in the postpartum period. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.