Psychosocial Resources Mediate Associations of Religiousness and Spirituality with Depressive Symptoms in Mothers during the First Postpartum Year

Religion and spirituality are salient for women surrounding the birth of a child and are associated with better physical and mental health. However, mechanisms of these associations are not understood. In postpartum women, we found that mastery, self-esteem and optimism mediated the associations of religiousness and spirituality with depressive symptoms.