Ovid: Self-Esteem as a Mediator of the Effects of Stressors and Social Resources on Depressive Symptoms in Postpartum Mothers. http://ovidsp.tx.ovid.com/...5f8a061ad76b28ce12480f862351533ae74961407bbf71aac3bf65bc2caac78523ba85c80eb637d46c008a44ba60625b77e611d822e8a96a603f7079392109c9a3a38[1/6/2015 4:14:45 PM] My Account Ask A UNC Librarian Support & Training Help Logoff Self -Esteem as a Mediator of the Effects of Stressors and Social Resources on Depressive Symptoms in Postpartum Mothers Hall, Lynne A.; Kotch, Jonathan B.; Browne, Dorothy; Rayens, Mary Kay Author Information Lynne A. Hall, DrPH, RN, is an associate professor, College of Nursing and Department of Behavioral Science, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY. Jonathan B. Kotch, MD, MPH, is a professor, Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC. Dorothy Browne, DrPH, is an associate professor, Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC. Mary Kay Rayens, PhD, is associate director of the Biostatistics Consulting Unit, Chandler Medical Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY. Accepted for publication February 20, 1996. This study was supported by the National Institute of Nursing Research, National Institutes of Health, Grant No. 5 K07 NR00038 awarded to the first author. Data collection was funded by Grant No. MCJ-37051 awarded to J. B. Kotch, MD, and D. Browne, DrPH, by the Bureau of Maternal and Child Health and Resources Development, USPHS. The authors are grateful to Earl S. Schaefer, PhD, for the use of the Autonomy and Relatedness Inventory, and to Margaret R. Grier, PhD, Elizabeth R. Lenz, PhD, and reviewers for assistance with the manuscript, and Libby Moss for manuscript preparation. An earlier version of this manuscript was presented at the Sigma Theta Tau International Research Congress, Madrid, Spain, June 1993. Address for reprints: Lynne A. Hall, DrPH, RN, 563 College of Nursing, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536-0232. Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the role of self-esteem as a mediator of the effects of stressors and social resources on mothers' postpartum depressive symptoms. Data were collected during in-home interviews with 738 women 1 to 2 months postpartum. Forty-two percent of the women had high depressive symptoms. Self-esteem mediated the effects of everyday stressors and the quality of primary intimate relationships on depressive symptoms. However, everyday stressors also exhibited direct effects. Mothers with low self-esteem were 39 times more likely to have high depressive symptoms than those with high self-esteem. Interventions to decrease postpartum mothers' chronic stressors and to improve the quality of their primary intimate relationships may enhance their self-esteem, which in turn may decrease the likelihood of high depressive symptoms. Article Tools Complete Reference Abstract Reference Print Preview Email Jumpstart Email PDF Jumpstart Email Article Text Save Article Text Add to My Projects Export All Images to PowerPoint Find Citing Articles Find Similar About this Journal Request Permissions Outline Abstract Review of Literature Method Results Discussion References IMAGE GALLERY Search Results Nursing Research Issue: Volume 45(4), July/ August 1996, pp 231-238 Copyright: © Lippincott-Raven Publishers Publication Type: [Article] ISSN: 0029-6562 Accession: 00006199-199607000-00007 [Article] Previous Article | Table of Contents | Next Article Search Journals Books Multimedia My Workspace Primal Pictures EBP Tools