Maternal depression as catalyst for cooperation: evidence from Uganda

Abstract

This study investigates the hypothesis that perinatal depression could function as a catalyst for a mother to elicit cooperation from others in times of need (Hagen, 2002). We analyze data on social support and depression from 292 women in Uganda around the time of giving birth and find that a perceived lack of support, especially from the baby's father, is linked to a higher risk of depression in the mother. Moreover, we employ a quasi-experimental strategy to analyze the lesser-studied direction of the causality and estimate the effect of perinatal depression on different types of support (instrumental, informational, emotional, economic) a mother receives from kin, affines, and unrelated individuals. The results indicate that mothers at the threshold of depression obtain increased help from several individuals, especially the baby's father. Others who show a positive reaction include the woman's mother (maternal grandmother), father (maternal grandfather), and, to a minor extent, father-in-law (paternal grandfather), and cousins. Unrelated but physically close individuals (neighbors and friends) generally provide substantial help but do not react at the depression threshold. Overall, our findings provide some evidence in favor of the bargaining hypothesis for maternal depression.