IOWA CITY, Iowa, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- A study of 4,332 new mothers in Iowa found 40 percent with a household income less than $20,000 suffered from significant post-partum depression.
However, University of Iowa psychologist Lisa Segre said 13 percent of new mothers with a household income of $80,000 or more were considered clinically depressed.
The mothers completed the Inventory to Diagnose Depression and socio-demographic interviews in the late 1990s.
The study, published in the journal Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, found 40 percent of Iowa's lowest-income mothers face the double burden of being depressed and being poor.
"Women who are poor already have a lot of stress, ranging from poor living conditions to concerns about paying the bills," Segre said in a statement. "The birth of an infant can represent additional financial and emotional stress, and depression negatively impacts the woman's ability to cope with these already difficult circumstances."
