Spouses' prenatal autonomous motivation to have a child and postpartum depression symptoms

Objectives: Maternal postpartum depression symptoms (PDS) are linked with negative personal, family, and child developmental outcomes. However, paternal PDS, let alone dyadic process, are understudied. Grounded in the Self-Determination Theory of motivation, this longitudinal study examined whether mothers' and fathers' type of prenatal motivation to have a child predicted depression symptoms 3-6 months after birth. Method: The data (N = 90 heterosexual couples) were analyzed using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model. Results: Dyadic analyses showed that a person's prenatal autonomous motivation to have a child significantly predicted own PDS and partner's PDS. Importantly, these finding were equivalent across genders. Conclusions: The findings highlight the importance of dyadic prenatal motivational processes as antecedents of PDS.