The role of parental divorce in the later vulnerability to perinatal depression and early parenting stress.

OBJECTIVE: This study will examine the role of childhood experience of parental divorce on later perinatal depression and parenting stress.

METHODS: 546 women were recruited at less than 20 weeks pregnancy into an ongoing pregnancy cohort study and followed up in pregnancy and the postpartum. Depression at recruitment was measured using the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale repeated in pregnancy and the postpartum. Parenting stress was measured at 12 months postpartum using Parenting Stress Index.

RESULTS: This study found 33% of women had experienced parental divorce. While we did not find a statistically significant relationship between the experience of parental divorce and perinatal depression, there was a higher rate of perinatal depression when parental divorce occured at a younger age. There was no association with parental divorce and parenting stress. Childhood divorce was significantly associated with other adverse childhood experiences.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings did not support an impact of parental divorce on either maternal perinatal depression or on parenting stress, suggesting the experience of parental divorce for children may not inevitably impact their later experiences as parents. Further research on the association with age of parental divorce and later perinatal mental health is warranted.