Objective

To examine the association between mental health problems among pregnant women and those in the postpartum period using a nationally representative sample of 6538 women aged 15–49 years from the National Survey of Demography and Sexual and Reproductive Health in Paraguay.

Methods

The predicted probabilities (PP) of common mental disorders (CMD) and suicidal ideation were assessed using the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) and logistic regression models.

Results

No evidence was found of an increased risk for mental health problems associated with being pregnant or in the postpartum period alone. The risk for CMD during pregnancy and the postpartum period and for suicidal ideation during pregnancy was significantly greater when the pregnancy was unintended. In addition, unintentionally pregnant women who had neither been in a union nor had a child were at a significantly higher risk for CMD and suicidal ideation compared with non-pregnant and non-postpartum women (PP: 0.54 versus 0.21 for CMD risk and 0.15 versus 0.02 for suicidal ideation). However, there were no significant differences by marital status among postpartum women.

Conclusion

The significant effects of pregnancy intention and marital status highlight the importance of psychosocial, rather than physiological, contexts in which women experience pregnancy and childbirth.