Locus of control and prenatal depression

Abstract

Prenatal depression is a significant predictor of postpartum depression and is detrimental to fetal development. Locus of control was examined in this study as a potential predictor of prenatal depression. One hundred and thirty-three rural pregnant women recruited from obstetricians' offices completed the Levenson Scale on Locus of Control and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Multiple regression analysis indicated that after controlling for previous or current mental health problems, the External Locus of Control-Chance Scale accounted for 17% of the variance in depression scores.