Background: The aim of this study is to investigate whether symptoms of anxiety and depression disorders in women during the perinatal period predict the occurrence of lactation mastitis.
Methods: This is a retrospective longitudinal study of 622 Greek women who were monitored from pregnancy until the first year postpartum (during the period January 2015-May 2018). The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale (PASS) were administered at four time points: (a) 24th-28th gestation week, (b) 34th-38th gestation week, (c) 6 weeks postpartum, and (d) 12 months postpartum. Multivariate binary logistic regression analyses were performed.
Results: Results showed that (a) increased EPDS (p < 0.02) and PASS (p < 0.05) scores during the last period before birth, (b) increased EPDS score at 6 weeks postpartum (p < 0.02), (c) PMS symptoms (p < 0.03), (d) traumatic life events during the last year (p < 0.03), and (e) the existence of a history of psychotherapy (before pregnancy) (p = 0.050) appear to be the psycho-emotional factors that can predict the possible occurrence of lactation mastitis in a breastfeeding mother.
Conclusions: The association between women's poor mental health and the occurrence of a physical health problem, such as lactation mastitis, is recognized. This study highlights the important role of early and timely detection of perinatal mental health disorders.
Keywords: EPDS; PASS; depressive symptoms; lactation mastitis; maternal stress; perinatal period.