• Dwenda Gjerdingen, Patricia McGovern, Laura Attanasio, Pamela Jo Johnson, and Katy Backes Kozhimannil.
• the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis; Medica Research Institute and Divisions of Environmental Health Sciences, Health Policy and Management, and Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis.
• J Am Board Fam Med. 2014 Jan 1; 27 (1): 879687-96.

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to characterize the relationship between maternal depressive symptoms and employment and whether it is mediated by social support.MethodsWe used data from a nationally representative sample of 700 US women who gave birth in 2005 and completed 2 surveys in the Listening to Mothers series, the first in early 2006, an average of 7.3 months postpartum, and the second an average of 13.4 months postpartum. A dichotomous measure of depressive symptoms was calculated from the 2-item Patient Health Questionnaire, and women reported their employment status and levels of social support from partners and others. We modeled the association between maternal employment and depressive symptoms using multivariate logistic regression, including social support and other control variables.ResultsMaternal employment and high support from a nonpartner source were both independently associated with significantly lower odds of depressive symptoms (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.35 and P = .011, and AOR, 0.40, P = .011, respectively). These relationships remained significant after controlling for mothers' baseline mental and physical health, babies' health, and demographic characteristics (AOR, 0.326 and P = .015, and AOR, 0.267 and P = .025, respectively).ConclusionsMaternal employment and strong social support, particularly nonpartner support, were independently associated with fewer depressive symptoms. Clinicians should encourage mothers of young children who are at risk for depression to consider ways to optimize their employment circumstances and "other" social support.

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