Associations Between Self-Esteem and Postpartum Depression and Anxiety: A Cross-Sectional Study Using the Rosenberg Scale in Romanian Women.

Background

Postpartum depression and anxiety are common in the perinatal period and can adversely affect maternal functioning and infant outcomes. Self-esteem is a relevant psychosocial factor, yet evidence from Eastern Europe remains limited.

Objectives

To describe self-esteem levels among postpartum Romanian women, examine correlational associations between self-esteem and postpartum depression/anxiety symptoms, and assess whether these associations persist after adjustment for sociodemographic and clinical covariates, across two maternity centers in a cross-sectional design.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 201 postpartum women recruited consecutively during their initial postpartum hospitalization from two public maternity hospitals in Western Romania (Bihor, n = 100; Timiș, n = 101) during 2024-2025. Participants completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7). Associations were assessed with χ2 tests (categorical comparisons), Pearson correlations, and multivariable linear regression models including center and selected sociodemographic/obstetric covariates.

Results

Self-esteem showed a strong inverse correlation with postpartum depressive symptoms (RSES-EPDS: r = -0.542 overall; r = -0.537 in Bihor; r = -0.552 in Timiș; all p < 0.001). Negative correlations were also observed with anxiety (RSES-GAD-7: r = -0.400; p < 0.001) and PHQ-9 depressive severity (r = -0.370; p < 0.001). Stratified analyses indicated graded symptom burden across self-esteem categories, with higher EPDS risk proportions among women with moderate/low self-esteem within each center (χ2p ≤ 0.039). In adjusted models, EPDS (B = -0.37; p < 0.001) and GAD-7 (B = -0.15; p = 0.021) remained independently associated with lower RSES, alongside study center (Timiș vs. Bihor: B = -1.08; p = 0.043) and educational attainment.

Conclusions

Lower self-esteem co-occurs with postpartum depressive symptoms and, secondarily, anxiety in Romanian women. While the cross-sectional design precludes causal inference, these robust correlational associations support the potential value of self-esteem assessment for early psychosocial risk identification. Longitudinal research is needed to establish temporal relationships and evaluate whether self-esteem can prospectively predict postpartum mental health outcomes.