Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment (Jun 2024)
Inverse Association Between Mothers’ Cognitive Social Capital During Pregnancy and Postpartum Depression: The Japan Environment and Children’s Study
Abstract
Takehiro Hatakeyama,1 Kenta Matsumura,1,2 Akiko Tsuchida,1,2 Hidekuni Inadera1,2 On behalf of the Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS) Group1Toyama Regional Center for JECS, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan; 2Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, JapanCorrespondence: Kenta Matsumura, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan, Tel +81-76-434-7279, Fax +81-76-434-5023, Email [email protected]: Several studies have reported an apparent inverse association between cognitive social capital and depression in various groups, but insights into this association in perinatal mothers are fairly limited. Therefore, we explored the possible associations between expectant mothers’ cognitive social capital (ie, neighborhood trust and reciprocity and generalized trust and reciprocity) and postpartum depression at 1 and 6 months after delivery.Patients and Methods: As part of an ongoing cohort study, the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, cognitive social capital was evaluated using a questionnaire survey during mid-late pregnancy and postpartum depression was assessed using the Japanese version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. This study analyzed data from 81,670 mothers. Logistic regression analysis was performed to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) for postpartum depression by the degree of neighborhood and generalized trust and reciprocity (high, relatively high, neutral, relatively low, and low) using the high category as a reference.Results: Regardless of the measurement time point, prevalence gradually increased as the degree of neighborhood trust decreased (all p < 0.001), suggesting a higher likelihood of postpartum depression with less neighborhood trust. A comparable tendency was also observed for the other three variables of cognitive social capital (all p < 0.001). Moreover, the inverse association of postpartum depression with generalized trust and reciprocity was markedly stronger (ORs for low category ≥ 2.70) than that with neighborhood trust and reciprocity (ORs for low category ≤ 1.96).Conclusion: Our findings highlight a statistically significant inverse association between cognitive social capital during pregnancy and postpartum depression at both time points.Keywords: perinatal depression, trust, reciprocity, cohort study, Japan
