The phenomenological experience of autobiographical memory in postnatally depressed and non-depressed mothers

Postnatal depression (PND) is a highly prevalent mental health condition, which has debilitating consequences for both maternal and child wellbeing. A number of risk factors for PND have been identified, from each of psychological, socioeconomic and biological backgrounds. The current research aimed to investigate cognitive risk factors for PND, since a majority of women report changes to their memory during the perinatal period. Memory phenomenology, the characteristics experienced when recalling a memory, was assessed using an online questionnaire with forty-eight participants. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was administered as a measurement of depression symptoms. The present study compared the experience of these characteristic when recalling parenting- related and unrelated events, as a function of EPDS score. Two significant negative correlations were found, between EPDS score and vividness for parenting-related events, and for EPDS score and negative emotion for events which were unrelated to parenting. A direct comparison of parent-related and unrelated memories revealed significant differences in vividness and emotional intensity between these two memory types. It was concluded that the subjective experience of autobiographical memory recollections is influenced by PND symptoms, which has implications for the identification and treatment of PND. Future research directions are discussed to investigate the extent of these differences