Prevalence and Risk Factors for Self-Reported Postpartum Depression Symptoms (SRPDS) in Hawai‘i, 2012–2015

Postpartum depression (PPD) affects an estimated 10% to 20% of women in the United States, but little is known about the risk factors for PPD in Hawai'i. This study sought to identify PPD risk factors and examine whether disparities exist in Hawai'i. Aggregated 2012-2015 Hawai'i Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data from 5572 women with a recent live birth were analyzed. Two questions on the PRAMS survey about mood and interest in activities were used to create a brief measure of Self-Reported Postpartum Depression Symptoms (SRPDS). Multivariate generalized logit analysis was conducted to identify risk factors associated with SRPDS or possible SRPDS, adjusting for maternal race and age, intimate partner violence (IPV), prenatal anxiety, prenatal depression, illicit drug use before pregnancy, and stressful life events (SLEs). About 10.0% of women surveyed had SRPDS and 27.7% had possible SRPDS. SRPDS was more common among Native Hawaiians (adjusted odds ratios=1.77; 95% confidence interval: 1.17-2.70), Filipinos (2.16; 1.33-3.50), Japanese (2.88; 1.67-4.98), and other Pacific Islanders (OPI; 3.22; 1.78-5.82), when compared to white. Women aged 20-29 years (0.39; 0.24-0.65) and 30-52 years (0.41; 0.24-0.69) were less likely to have SRPDS than those 19 years and younger. SRPDS was highest among women who experienced IPV (2.65; 1.37-5.13), prenatal anxiety (2.10; 1.28-3.42), prenatal depression (2.78; 1.47-5.25), or used illicit drugs before pregnancy (1.97; 1.21-3.20). There was an upward trend in SRPDS based on the number of SLEs. Possible SRPDS had similar but smaller effects, suggesting the importance of clinical screening and appropriate follow-up for these high-risk groups.