Relationship Between Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression is the most common postpartum mood disorder. Medical complications during pregnancy may predispose the person to postpartum depression. Determining the risk factors for postpartum depression can help identify high-risk women. Thus, we aimed to determine the relationship between gestational diabetes mellitus and postpartum depression in women visiting health care centers in Zabol, Iran, during 2015.
This prospective study was conducted among 105 pregnant women with definitive diagnosis of gestational diabetes and 157 healthy pregnant women selected using the multistage cluster sampling method. Data were collected by using a demographic characteristics form, Beck Depression Inventory, Vinfild and Tighmen’s social support scale, ENRICH marital satisfaction scale, and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. To analyze the data, t-test, Chi-squared test, Mann-Whitney U test, and relative-risk test were run in SPSS, version 21. P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Chi-squared test reflected a significant relationship between gestational diabetes mellitus and postpartum depression (P=0.001). The results of this study signified that women with gestational diabetes were 1.88 times more likely to suffer from postpartum depression than non-diabetic women were (CI=1.53-2.22).
Gestational diabetes can be a potential risk factor for postpartum depression, therefore, taking preventive measures and timely treatment of the disease are recommended to reduce the level of postpartum depression.