Associations among postpartum depression, eating disorders, and perfectionism in a population-based sample of adult women

• Published in: The International journal of eating disorders 2006-04, Vol.39 (3), p.202-211
• Main Authors: Mazzeo, Suzanne E., Slof-Op't Landt, Margarita C.T., Jones, Ian, Mitchell, Karen, Kendler, Kenneth S., Neale, Michael C., Aggen, Steven H., Bulik, Cynthia M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Adults; Biological and medical sciences; Bulimia Nervosa - diagnosis; Bulimia Nervosa - epidemiology; Bulimia Nervosa - psychology; Comorbidity; Depression; Depression, Postpartum - epidemiology; eating attitudes; eating disorder behaviors; Eating disorders; Feeding and Eating Disorders - epidemiology; Female; Humans; Medical sciences; Mood disorders; Personality Disorders - diagnosis; Personality Disorders - epidemiology; Personality Disorders - psychology; Personality traits; Population Surveillance - methods; Postpartum depression; pregnancy; Prevalence; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Severity of Illness Index; Surveys and Questionnaires; Women
• ISSN: 0276-3478; 1098-108X
• DOI: 10.1002/eat.20243

Objective The current study investigated associations among eating disorders, depressive symptoms during pregnancy and postpartum, and perfectionism in a population‐based sample of women. Method Females who reported ≥1 pregnancy (N = 1,119) completed questionnaires assessing perfectionism, eating disorder symptomatology, and depression during pregnancy and postpartum. Information regarding participants' history of major depressive disorder (MDD) was also available from structured psychiatric interviews completed during a previous wave of data collection. Results Depressive symptoms during pregnancy and postpartum were high among women with a history of eating disorders. Both binge eating disorder (BED) and bulimia nervosa (BN) were positively associated with symptoms of postpartum depression (PPD), even when lifetime MDD was controlled. However, logistic regression indicated that women with a history of BN and BED are at particular risk of developing PPD symptomatology. Linear regression analyses conducted with the subset of the sample who endorsed a PPD screening item suggested that the severity of PPD symptomatology may be attributable to Concern Over Mistakes, a specific aspect of perfectionism. Conclusion These results highlight the importance of assessing specific features of perfectionism. In addition, they suggest that women with BN, BED, or high Concern over Mistakes may be at particular risk of developing PPD symptoms, and could benefit from prenatal screening. © 2006 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc., Int J Eat Disord, 2006