Depressive symptoms during pregnancy: Exploring the role of sitting

Statement of problemStudies exploring relationships between sitting and mental health have been conducted in child and adult, but not pregnant populations. Depression during pregnancy is associated with deleterious outcomes for mothers and children, and shortcomings have been identified in current management strategies. Modifiable lifestyle behaviors may provide more acceptable alternatives to current management strategies if shown to be important. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between sitting behavior and depressive symptoms in a population of pregnant Australian women.MethodsThis pilot cross-sectional study included 81 pregnant women in Brisbane, Australia. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Sitting behavior was measured using the Australian Women's Activity Survey (AWAS). Several potential covariates were also assessed. Linear regression analyses were used to explore the relationship between sitting and depressive symptoms, whilst controlling for known covariates.ResultsThe model investigating “total sitting time” showed no association with depressive symptoms (F = .77, p = 0.38). The model investigating “planned leisure sitting time” was statistically significant (F = 4.42, p = 0.04): significant contributors to the model variance were HADS anxiety score (p = 0.003) and number of existing children (p = 0.02). “Planned leisure sitting time” showed a statistical trend toward significance (p = 0.06).ConclusionsThis study suggests further investigation of the relationship between sitting, particularly planned leisure sitting, and depression during pregnancy is warranted. Future research should include a larger sample and an objective measure of leisure time sitting.

► This is the first study to explore the relationship between depressive symptoms and sitting behavior in a group of pregnant women.
► We found no statistically significant association between total time spent sitting and depressive symptoms.
► We found a statistical trend between time spent sitting during planned leisure time and depressive symptoms.