Giving Birth after Battle: Increased Risk of Postpartum Depression for Women in Military

The rate of postpartum mood or anxiety disorders in general US population for new mothers is 10-22%1-3.  Although approximately 16,000 active duty women give birth annually4, less is known regarding the prevalence of postpartum mood disorders in this population. In a striking finding, Do et al., (2013)5 recently reported “Service women with PPD had 42.2 times the odds to be diagnosed with suicidality in the postpartum period compared to service women without PPD; dependent spouses with PPD had 14.5 times the odds compared to those without PPD” (p.2)

Pixabay © David Mark. 2013

Furthermore, a recent study, Is military deployment a risk factor for maternal depression?6 , examined the relationship between deployment experience before or after childbirth, and postpartum depression in a representative sample of U.S. servicewomen.  The objectives included addressing the lack of research regarding maternal depression in military mothers.