Perinatal depression and anxiety are very common globally, with prevalence rates as high as 5–30% [1–3]. If perinatal depression and anxiety are not treated promptly, they not only affect one's physical and mental health and lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes, including spontaneous abortion, pre-eclampsia, cesarean section, preterm birth, and low birth weight [4–6], but also have long-term effects on the cognitive and emotional development of offspring, as well as contribute to behavioral problems and interpersonal relationship difficulties later in life [7, 8]. In addition, perinatal mood disorders can decrease the rate of breastfeeding [9], and disrupt the quality of mother-infant attachment [10]. Given the high risk and prevalence of perinatal depression and anxiety, it is necessary to engage in extensive theoretical discussions and empirical research on the association between perinatal depression and anxiety.
Numerous studies have shown that perinatal depression and anxiety symptoms are heterogeneous, with a high degree of diversity in their onset, course, duration and severity [11–13]. Both domestic and international studies have shown that the prevalence of depression and anxiety varies at different stages of the perinatal period [14, 15], and there is no definitive pattern regarding which has a higher or lower prevalence of mood disorders during pregnancy and postpartum. Two foreign studies on depression trajectories in perinatal women both found five trajectories, including trajectory categories of no depressive symptoms, depression during pregnancy, and postpartum depression [16, 17]. Two domestic studies on pregnant women both identified three depression trajectories, including high symptom group, moderate symptom group and low symptom group [18, 19]. Empirical studies of anxiety trajectories during the perinatal period are relatively limited compared to perinatal depression. A longitudinal study of perinatal anxiety among African women identified four distinct anxiety trajectory categories: low anxiety, increasing anxiety before and after childbirth, overall increasing anxiety, and transient high anxiety in the postpartum period [20]. Another study of potential trajectories of perinatal anxiety symptoms from pregnancy to the early postpartum period determined three trajectory groups: very low-stable, low-stable and moderate-stable [21]. While these studies all indicate the existence of different categories of depression and anxiety trajectories during the perinatal period, providing evidence for longitudinal trajectory studies on perinatal depression and anxiety, existing studies are inconsistent in the number of trajectories, symptom continuity or variability, and vary in results depending on the study population, location and the duration of follow-up.
In previous individual-centered research, it can be seen that the independent developmental trajectories of antenatal depression and anxiety are very similar in number and shape. Depression and anxiety in most pregnant women can be maintained at relatively low levels over time, while a small number of individuals show stable high levels of depression and anxiety or an increase after childbirth. Furthermore, variable-centered studies have confirmed that depression and anxiety symptoms are significantly correlated and co-morbid [22, 23]. Regarding the interaction between depression and anxiety at different stages of the perinatal period, many studies have found that prenatal anxiety and depressive symptoms predicted postpartum anxiety and depression [24–26]. So, do these results imply that there are common trends between perinatal depression and anxiety? Traditional variable-centered studies ignored the heterogeneity of developmental patterns of perinatal depression and anxiety, and it is difficult to determine the exact pattern of the relationship between perinatal depression and anxiety by examining the characteristics of perinatal depression and anxiety only at the level of the variable, without distinguishing the heterogeneity in the developmental patterns of these two. The strength of the individual-centered approach lies in identifying heterogeneous developmental trajectories of different types of perinatal depression and anxiety. This further explores the joint developmental trajectories of the two, thereby elucidating the probable reasons for the high correlation and comorbidity between perinatal depression and anxiety at the individual level.
The high correlation and co-morbidity between perinatal depression and anxiety implies that there may be common developmental trajectories and pathogenic factors for both, and the multiple trajectories of perinatal depression and anxiety also suggest that there may be specific risk factors leading to distinct symptom patterns. If high risk groups for perinatal depression and anxiety can be identified, as well as potential risk and protective factors, early monitoring, psychological health education, and cognitive behavioral therapy can be conducted to reduce the risk of severe depression and adverse perinatal outcomes [27]. Previous studies have indicated that a history of mental illness, pregnancy loss, unintended pregnancy, pregnancy complications, smoking, domestic violence, abuse history, life stress, and lack of social or partner support are risk factors for perinatal depression and anxiety [28–31]. Pregnancy complications, a history of mental illness, and perinatal anxiety are associated with the high depression trajectory [12, 32, 33]. Low income, higher levels of stress, history of depression and lack of partner support are associated with the high anxiety trajectory group [13, 20]. Although there have been several studies on the predictors of perinatal depression and anxiety, the research on the longitudinal joint trajectory of perinatal depression and anxiety and its related factors is still lacking. Notably, although previous studies have emphasized social support as a protective factor for perinatal depression and anxiety, may independently influence the developmental trends of depression and anxiety [28, 30, 34, 35], there are currently no studies examining the effects of social support on the joint developmental trajectories of perinatal depression and anxiety.
Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the heterogeneous joint trajectories of perinatal depression and anxiety and assess relevant predictive factors. The protective effect of social support will be highlighted, providing empirical evidence for targeted early intervention and treatment.