Open Access

ARTICLE

The Relationship between Depression and Negative Cognitive Bias in Late Pregnancy Women and Its Influencing Factors

Yuchen Ye^1,3, Dadi Wu², Jiahu Hao^1,2,*
1 Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China
2 Department of Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China
3 Department of Patient Service Center, The People’s Hospital of Yingshang, Fuyang, 236200, China
* Corresponding Author: Jiahu Hao. Email:
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Exploring anxiety, stress, depression, addictions, executive functions, mental health, and other psychological and socio-emotional variables: psychological well-being and suicide prevention perspectives)

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2024.056235

Received 17 July 2024; Accepted 24 October 2024; Published online 02 December 2024

Abstract

Objective: In recent years, psychological problems in pregnant women have become an important public health problem. Depression is a common psychological problem during pregnancy. At present, most studies focus on prenatal depression in pregnant women, and there is a lack of relevant studies on prenatal negative cognition and its relationship with depression. This study aims to examine the relationship between depression and negative cognitive bias in women in late pregnancy and identify the influencing factors. Methods: A total of 829 women in late pregnancy were recruited from a tertiary hospital between April 2023 and October 2023. The survey included the General Information Questionnaire for Women in Late Pregnancy, the Negative Cognitive Processing Bias Scale, and the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale. Descriptive statistics and the χ² test were employed for univariate analysis of depression among these women. Pearson correlation analysis assessed the relationship between depression scores and negative cognitive bias scores. Multiple linear regression analysis, with depression as the dependent variable, was used to identify the influencing factors of depression in late pregnancy. Results: The detection rate of depression was 26.3%. Planned pregnancy emerged as a protective factor against depression in the third trimester (OR = 0.481). Conversely, negative life events during pregnancy and negative memory bias were identified as significant risk factors (OR = 2.880, 1.146). Conclusion: The prevalence of depression in the third trimester is notably high, with pronounced negative memory bias. Healthcare providers should prioritize the mental health of pregnant women, particularly those with deep and repetitive recollections of negative events, by enhancing psychological monitoring and treatment.

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Keywords

Depression; influencing factors; late pregnancy; negative cognitive bias

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