From pregnancy to postpartum: the moderating role of partner emotional support in the continuity of depressive symptoms

Abstract

This longitudinal study examining whether lack of emotional support from the partner during pregnancy intensifies the continuity of depressive symptoms from pregnancy to the postpartum period. Perinatal depression is one of the most common psychological difficulties affecting women during the transition to motherhood, and antenatal depressive symptoms are among the strongest predictors of later postpartum depression. However, less is known about the psychosocial conditions under which this risk becomes stronger. The aim of this study was to explore the role of perceived emotional support from the partner as a potential moderator in depressive symptoms from pregnancy to postpartum. Participants were assessed at a public hospital in Asturias, Spain, at two time points: during the third trimester of pregnancy and again in the postpartum period. The initial sample included 218 pregnant women, and 90 women completed the postpartum follow-up; the moderation analysis was conducted on 88 complete cases. Depressive symptoms were measured with the PHQ-9 during pregnancy and postpartum, and lack of emotional support from the partner was assessed during pregnancy using item 12 of the Psychosocial Risk Questionnaire. The study is based on a longitudinal design and includes a dropout analysis showing no significant baseline differences between women retained at follow-up and those lost to follow-up on sociodemographic and psychological variables. The findings indicate that antenatal depressive symptoms significantly predicted postpartum depressive symptoms. More importantly, this association was moderated by lack of emotional support from the partner. The interaction term was statistically significant, showing that the relationship between depressive symptoms during pregnancy and postpartum depressive symptoms became stronger as perceived emotional support decreased. In other words, antenatal depressive symptoms were more strongly associated with postpartum depressive symptoms among women reporting lower emotional support from their partner. These findings suggest that depressive symptoms during pregnancy do not operate in isolation, but within an interpersonal context that may either buffer or exacerbate psychological vulnerability across the perinatal period. The study highlights the relevance of partner emotional support as a clinically meaningful psychosocial factor in the persistence of depressive symptoms from pregnancy into postpartum. This has implications for early screening, prevention, and intervention strategies in maternal mental health, particularly in identifying women at greater risk of sustained depressive symptomatology after childbirth.