Although a range of studies have addressed the epidemiology of Postnatal Depression (PND), much of the research to date has tended to focus on trying to identify predictors of PND per se, rather than examining differences in the forms of depression experienced by women following childbirth (Warner et al., 1997).

This PhD study investigated longtitudinally, both antenatally and postnatally, a model of the cognitive influences that have been identified as being potentially critical to the onset and severity of depression. The study had a particular emphasis on women diagnosed as depressed for the first time, and investigated the impact of combinations of cognitive constructs prior to and during episodes of depression occurring around the time of childbirth. The specific aim was to investigate whether first-time mothers who became depressed postnatally had a potentially dysfunctional cognitive profile, defined as having a more extreme Locus of Control (Rotter, 1966, Psychological Monographs, 80 (1), 1-28) before the birth, (a cognitive construct often linked to depression) and dysfunctional maternal attitudes (Warner et al., 1997, Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 43(4), 351-358). Additionally, the model of learned helplessness also predicted to influence the onset of depression (Abramson et al., 1978, Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 87 (1), 49-74.) was examined to determine whether attribution style changed during the onset and course of the syndrome.

Case study material will be used in the discussion to highlight the role of cognition in PND for some women, and the implications for their relationships with their partner and other family members.