Is positive mental health and the absence of mental illness the same? Factors associated with flourishing and the absence of depressive symptoms in postpartum women

Objective Exploring a wide range of factors associated with flourishing and with the absence of depressive symptoms among postpartum women. Methods A sample of 661 postpartum women completed a set of questionnaires assessing sociodemographic and infant-related data, flourishing, psychological flexibility, self-compassion, resilience, and maternal confidence. Results Younger infant age, higher levels of maternal confidence, and resilience increased the likelihood of flourishing. In turn, higher income, fewer problems with an infant's sleep, perceiving an infant's temperament as easy, and higher psychological flexibility increased the likelihood of not having depressive symptoms. Appraising the support received by others as good and having higher self-compassion increased the likelihood of both outcomes. Conclusions Our results support positive mental health and mental illness being related but distinct dimensions. Promoting positive mental health in the postpartum period should be an additional goal in public health care as it may efficiently complement the prevention of psychopathology.