ABSTRACT

Women do not become mothers in a vacuum. They live in families, extended families, cultures, and societies. At each of these levels of social connection, mothers can be protected from, or made more vulnerable to, depression. The social factors related to depression include the amount of help she has with her baby and other children; the amount of emotional support she receives from her partner and others around her; her socioeconomic and immigration status; and her exposure to stressful life events. Research on these social risk factors is described below.