Demographic characteristics of participants in studies of risk factors, prevention, and treatment of postpartum depression

Abstract

Objectives: Metaanalyses have found that sociodemographic variables are not strong predictors of postpartum depression. However, no studies have systematically examined the extent to which the samples used in published research on postpartum depression have included sufficiently diverse samples of women to merit this conclusion. The objectives of this study were to examine the demographic characteristics of participants in previously published studies and to document existing gaps in the current literature. Method: We extracted age, ethnicity, relationship status, and socioeconomic status of 51 453 participants from 143 studies previously selected for systematic literature reviews. Results: Few studies reported complete demographic data; however, existing data indicate that participants were predominantly aged 25 to 35 years, white, partnered, and of mid- or high-socioeconomic status. Conclusions: To assess the external validity of the findings, improved reporting of demographic characteristics is required in publications related to postpartum depression. Additional research is needed to understand postpartum depression among understudied populations.