Self-discrepancy, negative life events, and social support in relation to dejection in mothers of infants

A diathesis-stress framework was used to examine self-discrepancy, negative life events, and social support in relation to dejection in a sample of 100 mothers who were between 3 and 12 months postpartum. In hierarchical regressions, actual:ideal (Al) discrepancy, but not actual:ought (AO) discrepancy, was positively associated with dejection assessed 2 weeks later. Negative life events were more strongly associated with dejection for mothers whose Al discrepancy was larger. Mothers who perceived less social support were more dejected, and Al discrepancy was more strongly associated with dejection when social support was lower. The regression model did not predict anxiety. The results support diathesis-stress theories of vulnerability to depression in that the interaction of the diathesis and the stress predicted dejection but not anxiety, as well as sell-discrepancy theory in that Al discrepancy but not AO discrepancy predicted dejection.