Postpartum depression more likely for women in urban areas

Posted by Neill Abayon


A recent study shows that women living in large urban areas in Canada with more than 500,000 inhabitants are at a higher risk of developing postpartum depression compared with women living in rural areas.

The study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, looked at 6,421 women who participated in the 2006 Canadian Maternity Experiences Survey, who had just given birth.

The researchers, of Women's College Hospital, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, St. Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto, Ontario, classified which area of Canada the women lived in from the following:

• Rural area (population smaller than 1,000 people or with 400 or more inhabitants per square kilometer)
• Semi-rural (population under 30,000)
• Semi-urban (population between 30,000 - 499,999)
• Urban (population 500,000 or over).

More here.