DEPRESSION PREVALENCE AND INCIDENCE AMONG INNER-CITY PREGNANT AND POSTPARTUM WOMEN

A sample of 192 financially impoverished, inner-city women was assesse d for clinical depression twice during pregnancy and once postpartum. At the first and second antepartum interviews, respectively, 77.6% and 24.5% of the women were depressed, controlling for pregnancy-related somatic symptoms. Postpartum depression was found among 23.4% of women . These rates are about double those found for middle-class samples. P articularly heightened risk for antepartum depression was found among single women who did not have a cohabiting partner. African American a nd European American women did not differ in rates of depression. Ante partum depression was a weak but significant risk factor for postpartu m depression.