P0195 - “Vulnerable personality” in women with postpartum depression

Abstract

Few studies have evaluated personality traits as a risk factor of postpartum depression (PPD). The Vulnerable Personality Style Questionnaire (VPSQ; Boyce et al. 2001), is a 9-item self-report scale developed to evaluate personality vulnerability to PPD with satisfactory psychometric properties. It assesses 9 personality dimensions: Coping, Nervy, Timidity, Sensitivity, Worrier, Obsessive, Volatility Organized and Expressive.

Objective:

To study the vulnerable personality style in a Spanish postpartum sample.

Method:

A case-control study: 145 PPD women visited at the Psychiatry Perinatal Unit were compared to 203 healthy women from a postpartum population based study. All women were assessed with the VPSQ (Spanish adaptation), the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the Structured Clinical Interview (DSM-IV) axis I. Personality traits were evaluated after full clinical remission. The study was approved by the Institution board.

Results:

Univariated analysis showed that women with PPD obtained higher scores (p<.000) in seven VPSQ personality dimensions: Coping, Nervy, Timidity, Sensitivity, Worrier, Obsessive, and Volatility, as well as the VPSQ total score (p<.000). Personal history of depression (p<.000) was also associated with PPD. In the logistic regression analysis; an increase of one point on the VPSQ total score increased the OR in 1.151 fold (95%CI:1.095-1.210) the association with PPD. Other variables associated were age and personal history of depression. The Hosmer-Lemershow test (p=.706) indicated the goodness-of-fit of the model.

Conclusions:

Women with PPD had higher scores in the Vulnerable Personality Style Questionnaire. They were more nervous, timid, sensitive, obsessive, worried, angry and cope poorly than healthy postpartum women.