Postpartum exuberance
Not all women in a highly positive emotional state in the postpartum period are denying depression and distress
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11277262 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Edward Z Tronick (Boston Children's Hospital, corresponding author), Marjorie Beeghly (0000-0002-4065-0812, Harvard University), M Katherine Weinberg (Boston Children's Hospital), Karen L Olson (0000-0002-5124-6129, Harvard University) |
| Year | 1997 |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 406-423 |
| Publication date | 1997-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Infant Mental Health Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0163-9641 • E-ISSN: 1097-0355 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/(sici)1097-0355(199724)18:4<406::aid-imhj7>3.0.co;2-i |
| OpenAlex | W2067255941 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 9 |
The question addressed in this study was whether or not mothers who scored low on self-report depression scales—so-called “deniers”—were denying their symptoms and suffering from an illusion of mental health. The findings did not support the interpretation that low-scoring mothers were denying other symptoms. Rather, low-scoring mothers: 1) experienced a wide range of emotions and similar levels of positive emotions compared to mid-symptom mothers; 2) changed their reported levels of depressive symptoms over the course of the study; 3) reported a variety of symptoms at levels similar to those of mothers in the mid symptom range; and 4) were affected negatively by having a diagnosis of depression, in a manner similar to mothers in the mid and high symptom groups. Furthermore, low symptom mothers consistently reported the most positive profiles of maternal adaptation with higher levels of maternal self-esteem and a high ratio of self-reported positive to negative affect. Thus, they appeared to be experiencing a heretofore underdescribed highly positive normal postpartum state that we have labeled “postpartum exuberance.” Postpartum exuberance, as well as a compromise of affective functioning associated with any lifetime diagnosis of depression regardless of the mothers' current level of depressive symptoms, highlights the complexity of emotional reactivity during the postpartum period. © 1997 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health
Anxiety · Depression (economics) · Depressive symptoms · Distress · Emotional distress · Mental health · Postpartum depression · Postpartum period · Pregnancy · Psychiatry · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Clinical Psychology · Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum · Psychology
Maternal postpartum depressive symptoms and 4-month mother–infant interaction
Six-week postpartum maternal self-criticism and dependency and 4-month mother-infant self- and interactive contingencies
Seeing Red
Affect expression in prenatally psychotropic exposed and nonexposed mother–infant dyads
Six‐week postpartum maternal depressive symptoms and 4‐month mother–infant self‐ and interactive contingency
Maternal anxiety symptoms and mother–infant self‐ and interactive contingency
| Unique citing works | 6 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,25 |
| Citation span | 2002 - 2022 (21) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |