Urban women show higher risk of postpartum depression: study

Compared with those living in rural areas, women living in large urban areas are at a significantly higher risk of postpartum depression after five to 14 months of giving birth, according to a new Canadian study.

The study, conducted by researchers from the Women's College Hospital, a University of Toronto affiliate, was published earlier this week in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

After reviewing the results of Statistics Canada's survey on key perinatal health indicators from more than 6,000 mothers, the researchers stratified location by the size of population -- rural (less than 1,000 people), semi-rural (less than 30,000 people), semi-urban (30,000 to 499,999 people) and urban (at least 500,000 people).

They found that more than 9 percent of women living in urban areas had postpartum depression five to 14 months after delivery, compared to only 6-7 percent of women in rural, semi-rural and semi-urban areas.

They also found that in large urban centers, women were more likely to be foreign-born, who had little or no social support during or after pregnancy.

"Living in an urban area is a marker of more stress, less support and a potentially higher risk of postpartum depression for women," says Dr. Simone Vigod, who led the study.

"Our study suggests we need to better target our support and services toward women based on their geographic location to improve their outcomes and reduce their risk of postpartum depression," Vigod said.