The Role of Maternal Perceived Social Support on the Relation Between Prenatal Depressive Symptoms and Labor Experience

Abstract. Background: Depression during pregnancy is a severe risk factor for negative outcomes in women and children. In particular, prenatal symptoms of depression are linked to a more complicated labor experience, characterized by more painful labor and more frequent recourse to epidural analgesia and/or oxytocin. Although this link is evident, less is known about possible mediators of this relationship. Aims: This study investigated the mediating role of perceived maternal social support on the relationship between prenatal maternal depression and labor experience. Methods: Participants were 152 Italian nulliparous women ( Mage = 31.68 years, SD = 4.94). Data were collected at two different times: T1 (at week 30–33 of gestation) women completed the Beck Depression Inventory and the Maternal Social Support Scale; T2 (at childbirth) clinical data regarding labor was registered from hospital records (duration of labor in hours and administration of oxytocin and epidural analgesia in hours). Results: The Structural Equation Modeling showed that prenatal symptoms of depression are linked to a more complicated labor experience (β = .31, p