Intergenerational transmission of postpartum depression

Objective: This study aimed to explore the hypothesis of an intergenerational transmission of postpartum depression. Mother's postpartum depressive symptomatology was linked to former depression, postpartum depression of her mother as well as the quality of the mother-daughter relationship. Method: A sample of 65 women and their mothers completed questionnaires one month after delivery: the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), dimension A of the International Mini Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) assessing a former depressive episode, the Mother and Adult Daughter Questionnaire (MAD) as well as the Inventory of Peer and Relative Attachment (IPPA). Their mothers completed the Bromley Postnatal Depression Scale (BPDS) in order to retrospectively diagnose a postpartum depression. Results: Women whose mother had suffered from a postnatal depression had significantly higher scores on the EPDS. Former depression symptoms and grandmother's former postnatal depression were significant predictors of postpartum depression symptoms intensity. Conclusion: this study confirms the hypothesis of an intergenerational transmission of postpartum depression and highlights the need to provide an in-depth examination of these issues.