Prevalence of Self-Reported Postpartum Depressive Symptoms and Related Factors in Women living in Puerto Rico (2017–2020)
Vol. 44 No. 4 (2025), Full-Length Articles
Vol. 44 No. 4 (2025)

Prevalence of Self-Reported Postpartum Depressive Symptoms and Related Factors in Women living in Puerto Rico (2017–2020)

Full-Length Articles
Published 2025-12-11
Marianela Rodríguez-Reynaldo
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, PR
Zilkia Rivera-Orraca
Department of Psychiatry, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, PR
Naydi Pérez-Ríos
Hispanic Alliance for Clinical and Translational Research (ALLIANCE), University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, PR
Karen G. Martínez-González
School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Public domain photo CDC edited by AI
PDF

Keywords

perinatal mental health
postpartum depression
Hispanic health
social determinants
PR-PRAMS 
Latino health

How to Cite

Rodríguez-Reynaldo, M., Rivera-Orraca, Z., Pérez-Ríos, N., & Martínez-González, K. G. (2025). Prevalence of Self-Reported Postpartum Depressive Symptoms and Related Factors in Women living in Puerto Rico (2017–2020). Puerto Rico Health Sciences Journal, 44(4), 215–225. Retrieved from https://prhsj.rcm.upr.edu/index.php/prhsj/article/view/3629
ACM ACS APA ABNT Chicago Harvard IEEE MLA Turabian Vancouver

Download Citation

Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS) BibTeX

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this article is to address the lack of data on self-reported postpartum depression among women in Puerto Rico with a live birth. Methods: We examined data from the Puerto Rico Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) questionnaire to evaluate self-reported postpartum depressive symptoms (SRPPDS) among women with a live birth. Results: The prevalence of SRPPDS among women in Puerto Rico with a live birth was similar to that reported by other PRAMS sites. Overall, 9.67% of respondents reported having SRPPDS, and it did not vary by marital status, maternal age, maternal education, or income (P > .05). Risk factors that were significantly more prevalent among women who reported SRPPDS during the study period included 1) depression and anxiety before pregnancy, 2) depression and anxiety during pregnancy, and 3) smoking around the time of the interview, and 4) exposure to disaster-related stressors after Hurricane Maria. Conclusion: Our findings show that women in Puerto Rico who had live births have similar rates of SRPPDS compared to those in other areas of the U.S.; however, specific risk factors for this population include exposure to disasters.

PDF
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms: a. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal. b. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal. c. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).