The role of lack of grandparental support in perinatal depression

Background: Low social support has been identified as a risk factor for perinatal mental health problems. However, previous studies mainly focused on partner support or general social support and neglected the roles of grandparents. Here, we examine whether a lack of grandparental support is related to increased risk of a diagnosis of perinatal depression. In addition, we examine whether poor grandparental support is related to more depressive symptoms in mothers with and without previously diagnosed perinatal depression and whether perceived grandparental support buffers against parenting difficulties in mothers with perinatal depression. Methods: The sample was drawn from an Australian pregnancy cohort study and consisted of 725 women, including 230 women who met criteria for Major Depression. At 12 months postpartum, women reported on grandparental geographical proximity and hours of grandparental childcare support. Perceived grandparental support was assessed with the Postpartum Social Support Questionnaire and parenting difficulties and depressive symptoms with the Parenting Stress Index and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Results: Perceived grandparental support was related to fewer depressive symptoms among mothers with perinatal depression. In addition, higher levels of perceived grandparental support were related to lower parenting stress in mothers with and without perinatal depression. Limitations: Intergenerational conflicts and quality of grandparenting were not assessed. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that supportive grandparents may prevent the development of more severe perinatal depression in mothers experiencing perinatal mental health problems. Future studies should examine whether involving grandparents in treatment may add to the effectiveness of existing perinatal mental health interventions.