Adult Attachment Styles: Emotion Regulation and Depressive Symptoms: A Comparison between Postpartum and Non-Postpartum Women in Turkiye

It is known that pregnancy and postpartum are difficult periods in which women may have important changes and be exposed to some anxiety evoking stimulus. Stress elements during this period may increase the risk of postpartum depression for women with an insecure attachment style. In this study, the relations between attachment styles, affect regulation, and postpartum depression (PPD) is examined in postpartum women as compared to non-postpartum women. 215 Turkish women were recruited from pediatric units of hospitals, of whom 128 were in the postpartum period. Participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory, the Difficulty of Emotion Regulation Scale, and the Close Relationship Scale-II. It was found that compared to the non-postpartum group, the postpartum group has shown effects of high levels of regulation difficulties in both anxious and avoidant attachment styles and depressive symptoms. However, anxious mothers were more likely to be associated with emotional dysregulation than avoidant mothers in both groups. Affect dysregulation between unsecured attachment and depression only has a partial mediator effect on the postpartum group, and no meaningful mediator effect has been observed in the comparison group. Overall, the results highlight some of the risk factors behind mothers’ postpartum depression symptoms.