POSTPARTUM EXUBERANCE - NOT ALL WOMEN IN A HIGHLY POSITIVE EMOTIONAL STATE IN THE POSTPARTUM PERIOD ARE DENYING DEPRESSION AND DISTRESS

The question addressed in this study was whether or not mothers who sc ored low on self-report depression scales-so-called ''deniers''-were d enying their symptoms and suffering from an illusion of mental health. The findings did not support the interpretation that low-scoring moth ers were denying other symptoms. Rather, low-scoring mothers: 1) exper ienced a wide range of emotions and similar levels of positive emotion s compared to mid-symptom mothers; 2) changed their reported levels of depressive symptoms over the course of the study; 3) reported a varie ty of symptoms at levels similar to those of mothers in the mid sympto m range; and 4) were affected negatively by having a diagnosis of depr ession, in a manner similar to mothers in the mid and high symptom gro ups. Furthermore, low symptom mothers consistently reported the most p ositive profiles of maternal adaptation with higher levels of maternal self-esteem and a high ratio of self-reported positive to negative af fect. Thus, they appeared to be experiencing a heretofore underdescrib ed highly positive normal postpartum state that we have labeled ''post partum exuberance.'' Postpartum exuberance, as well as a compromise of affective functioning associated with any lifetime diagnosis of depre ssion regardless of the mothers' current level of depressive symptom, highlights the complexity of emotional reactivity during the postpartu m period.