Perinatal Depressive Symptoms among Pregnant Employees in Taiwan

Abstract

This was a longitudinal study of perinatal depressive symptoms among females employed in a large electronics manufacturer in Taiwan, conducted from August 2015 through October 2016. We used questionnaires to collect data on perceived job strain, social support, and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores at three perinatal time-points (pregnancy, delivery, and return to the workplace). Of the 153 employees who agreed to participate, 82 completed the three stages. The prevalence of perinatal depressive symptoms for the three stages was 13.7%, 16.8%, and 15.9%, respectively. The incidence at 3 weeks after childbirth and 1 month after returning to the workplace was 11.0% and 6.8%, respectively. During the third trimester of pregnancy, sleep problems (odds ratio [OR] = 6.2, 95% confidence Interval [95% CI] = 2.1–19.3), perceived job strain (OR = 4.4, 95% CI = 1.5–14.3), and lack of support from family or friends (OR = 7.0, 95% CI = 1.3–40.8) were significant risk factors. Sleep problems (OR = 6.0, 95% CI = 1.7–23.5) and lack of support from family or friends (OR = 27.6, 95% CI = 4.1–322.3) were associated with an increased risk of perinatal depressive symptoms at 3 weeks after childbirth. After returning to the workplace, perceived job strain (OR = 18.2, 95% CI = 2.2–435.7) was a significant risk factor. These findings could provide insight about early symptom detection, and more studies to clarify the association would be worthwhile.