Risk Factors

• All mothers can experience PMD, but there are factors which may put a mother at increased risk of developing PMD:
• Personal or family history of mental illness
• Stressful recent life events such as job loss, unplanned pregnancy, moving, loss of loved one
• Lack of social supports that come from being a new immigrant or a teen mother
• Personality (e.g. may be a worrier or get anxious easily)
• Relationship difficulties (e.g. family violence, couple discord)
• Low self-esteem
• Low socio-economic status or financial stress
• Complications during pregnancy or delivery: premature delivery, multiple births, birth trauma

Many of the risk factors for fathers are similar to mothers, and may also include:

• Partner experiencing postnatal depression
• Previous history of depression
• Marital problems
• Low self-esteem
• Feelings of incompetence in parenting role