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Positive Emotions During Infant Feeding and Postpartum Mental Health.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Wouk, K; Gottfredson, NC; Tucker, C; Pence, BW; Meltzer-Brody, S; Zvara, B; Grewen, K; Stuebe, AM
Published in: J Womens Health (Larchmt)
February 2019

BACKGROUND: Research shows that individuals can improve mental health by increasing experiences of positive emotions. However, the role of positive emotions in perinatal mental health has not been investigated. This study explored the extent to which positive emotions during infant feeding are associated with maternal depression and anxiety during the first year postpartum. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and sixty-four women drawn from a longitudinal cohort of mother-infant dyads were followed from the third trimester through 12 months postpartum. We measured positive emotions during infant feeding at 2 months using the mean subscale score of the modified Differential Emotions Scale. Depression and anxiety symptoms were assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory-II and State Trait Anxiety Inventory-State subscale at months 2, 6, and 12. Generalized linear mixed models were used to estimate crude and multivariable associations. RESULTS: Among women with no clinical depression during pregnancy, higher positive emotions during infant feeding at 2 months were associated with significantly fewer depression symptoms at 2, 6, and 12 months and with lower odds of clinically significant depression symptoms at 2 and 6 months. In contrast to depression outcomes, women with clinical anxiety during pregnancy who experienced higher positive emotions had significantly fewer anxiety symptoms at 2, 6, and 12 months and lower odds of clinically significant anxiety at 2 and 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: Positive emotions during infant feeding are associated with depression and anxiety outcomes during the first year postpartum and may be a modifiable protective factor for maternal mental health.

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Published In

J Womens Health (Larchmt)

DOI

EISSN

1931-843X

Publication Date

February 2019

Volume

28

Issue

2

Start / End Page

194 / 202

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Public Health
  • Pregnancy Trimester, Third
  • Pregnancy
  • Postpartum Period
  • Personality Inventory
  • North Carolina
  • Middle Aged
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Infant
 

Citation

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ICMJE
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Wouk, K., Gottfredson, N. C., Tucker, C., Pence, B. W., Meltzer-Brody, S., Zvara, B., … Stuebe, A. M. (2019). Positive Emotions During Infant Feeding and Postpartum Mental Health. J Womens Health (Larchmt), 28(2), 194–202. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2017.6889
Wouk, Kathryn, Nisha C. Gottfredson, Christine Tucker, Brian W. Pence, Samantha Meltzer-Brody, Bharathi Zvara, Karen Grewen, and Alison M. Stuebe. “Positive Emotions During Infant Feeding and Postpartum Mental Health.J Womens Health (Larchmt) 28, no. 2 (February 2019): 194–202. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2017.6889.
Wouk K, Gottfredson NC, Tucker C, Pence BW, Meltzer-Brody S, Zvara B, et al. Positive Emotions During Infant Feeding and Postpartum Mental Health. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2019 Feb;28(2):194–202.
Wouk, Kathryn, et al. “Positive Emotions During Infant Feeding and Postpartum Mental Health.J Womens Health (Larchmt), vol. 28, no. 2, Feb. 2019, pp. 194–202. Pubmed, doi:10.1089/jwh.2017.6889.
Wouk K, Gottfredson NC, Tucker C, Pence BW, Meltzer-Brody S, Zvara B, Grewen K, Stuebe AM. Positive Emotions During Infant Feeding and Postpartum Mental Health. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2019 Feb;28(2):194–202.
Journal cover image

Published In

J Womens Health (Larchmt)

DOI

EISSN

1931-843X

Publication Date

February 2019

Volume

28

Issue

2

Start / End Page

194 / 202

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Public Health
  • Pregnancy Trimester, Third
  • Pregnancy
  • Postpartum Period
  • Personality Inventory
  • North Carolina
  • Middle Aged
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Infant