Findings from Northwestern University Broaden Understanding of Postpartum Depression (Association Between State Paid Family and Medical Leave and Breastfeeding, Depression, and Postpartum Visits): Mental Health Diseases and Conditions – Postpartum Depression

2024 MAR 18 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Investigators publish new report on Mental Health Diseases and Conditions - Postpartum Depression. According to news reporting originating from Chicago, Illinois, by NewsRx editors, the research stated, “To evaluate the association of state paid family and medical leave policies with the likelihood of breastfeeding, postpartum depression symptoms, and attendance of the postpartum visit. This was a cross-sectional study that used 2016-2019 data from PRAMS (Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System) for 43 states and Washington, DC.”

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from Northwestern University, “We describe the association of state paid family and medical leave generosity with rates of breastfeeding, postpartum depression symptoms, and attendance of the postpartum visit. Logistic and Poisson regression models tested the significance of state paid family and medical leave coverage generosity after controlling for individual respondent sociodemographic characteristics, with sensitivity analyses for respondents with deliveries covered by Medicaid insurance.Of the 143,131 respondents, representative of an estimated 7,426,725 population, 26.2% lived in eight states and DC with the most generous paid family and medical leave, 20.5% lived in nine states with some paid family and medical leave, and 53.3% lived in 26 states with little or no paid family and medical leave. Overall, 54.8% reported breastfeeding at 6 months or at time of the survey, ranging from 59.5% in the most generous paid family and medical leave states to 51.0% in states with the least paid family and medical leave coverage. Postpartum depression symptoms varied from 11.7% in the most generous states to 13.3% in the least generous states (both P<.001). State differences in postpartum visit attendance rates (90.9% overall) did not differ significantly. After adjusting for respondent characteristics, compared with states with the least paid family and medical leave, breastfeeding was 9% more likely (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR] 1.09, 95% CI, 1.07-1.11) in states with the strongest paid family and medical leave coverage and 32% more likely (aIRR 1.32, 95% CI, 1.25-1.39) in analyses limited to respondents with deliveries covered by Medicaid insurance. A more generous state paid family and medical leave policy was significantly associated with a lower likelihood of postpartum depression symptoms compared with states with the least paid family and medical leave (adjusted odds ratio 0.85, 95% CI, 0.76-0.94) and a modest but significant increase in postpartum visit attendance (aIRR 1.03, 95% CI, 1.01-1.04) among respondents with deliveries covered by Medicaid insurance. Respondents from states with strong paid family and medical leave had a greater likelihood of breastfeeding and had lower odds of postpartum depression symptoms, with stronger associations among respondents with deliveries covered by Medicaid insurance.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Despite major potential health benefits of paid family and medical leave, the United States remains one of the few countries without federally mandated paid parental leave.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Association Between State Paid Family and Medical Leave and Breastfeeding, Depression, and Postpartum Visits. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 2024;143(1):14-22. Obstetrics & Gynecology can be contacted at: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Two Commerce Sq, 2001 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA.

The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Joe Feinglass, Northwestern University, Division of General Internal Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, United States.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1097/aog.0000000000005428. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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