Latent profile analysis of postpartum depression symptoms and its associations with weight stigma and eating behaviors among postpartum women in China

Abstract

Abstract Background Postpartum depression (PPD) represents a significant maternal health challenge with diverse symptom manifestations. Traditional analytical approaches that treat postpartum women as a homogeneous group may obscure distinct symptom patterns, limiting the development of targeted nursing interventions. Objectives This study aimed to identify distinct subgroups of Chinese postpartum women based on their depression symptom patterns using latent profile analysis, and to examine factors associated with subgroup membership, with particular focus on weight-related stigma and eating behaviors. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 507 postpartum women within one year of delivery between December 2021 and March 2022. Participants completed standardized measures including the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Perceived Weight Stigma Questionnaire (PWSQ), Weight Bias Internalization Scale (WBIS), and Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ). Latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted using the 10 EPDS items, with multinomial logistic regression employed to identify factors associated with profile membership. Results LPA revealed three distinct subgroups, characterized primarily by symptom severity: ‘low-level PPD’ (45.2%), ‘middle-level PPD’ (41.8%), and ‘high-level PPD’ (13.0%). Factors significantly associated with profile membership included perceived weight stigma, weight bias internalization, emotional eating, external eating, age, body mass index, and education level. Conclusions The identification of three distinct PPD profiles highlights the heterogeneity in depression symptom presentation among Chinese postpartum women. These findings support the adoption of person-centered assessment approaches in nursing practice. Screening for weight-related stigma and maladaptive eating behaviors may enhance early identification of high-risk women. The results provide empirical evidence for developing tailored nursing interventions that address profile-specific characteristics, offering a step toward precision in postpartum mental healthcare.