Unintended Pregnancy and Perinatal Depression Trajectories in Low-Income, High-Risk Hispanic Immigrants

This article identifies depressive symptom trajectories and heterogeneity in these trajectories during pregnancy and through the first year postpartum, and examines the association between unintended pregnancy and depressive symptoms among low-income Hispanic immigrants. Three distinct trajectory patterns of depressive symptoms were identified: high during pregnancy, but low postpartum; borderline during pregnancy, with a postpartum increase; and low throughout pregnancy and postpartum. Unintended pregnancy was associated with a nearly fourfold increase in the risk of postpartum depressive symptoms.