Postpartum Depression Risk Following Exposure to Universal and Unconditional Perinatal Cash Transfers

Abstract

Purpose. Postpartum depression (PPD) disproportionately affects women experiencing socioeconomic hardship. We examined the association between exposure to Rx Kids, the nation’s first universal and unconditional perinatal cash transfer program, and PPD risk among mothers of one-month-old infants.

Methods. This study used Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) data collected from electronic health records of 815 one-month well-child visits between 2022 and 2025, spanning two years before and after Rx Kids implementation. Difference-in-differences analyses compared changes in depression screening outcomes among mothers residing in Flint, Michigan, where Rx Kids was implemented, with changes among mothers residing outside Flint.

Results. In the two years before Rx Kids, the prevalence of high risk PPD scores > 13 was 8.7% in Flint and 6.2% outside Flint; two years after, the prevalence was 3.3% in Flint and 10.4% outside Flint. Rx Kids exposure was associated with a 9.8-percentage-point reduction in high risk PPD scores (95% CI, -16.8 to -2.8, p = 0.006), reversing the preexisting geographic disparity. Reductions were also observed in moderate PPD risk and mean EPDS scores.

Conclusions. Findings suggest that universal and unconditional perinatal cash support may be an effective upstream strategy for preventing PPD, improving maternal mental health, and reducing place-based disparities.

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BibTeX RIS

BibTeX

@misc{cederna2026postpartum,
  title = {{Postpartum Depression Risk Following Exposure to Universal and Unconditional Perinatal Cash Transfers}},
  author = {Crystal Cederna and Rachel Hollander and Jenny LaChance and Sumit Agarwal and Mason Hambley and Eric Finegood and Maya Wolock and Rachel Ablir and Shannon Coughlin and Sooin Choi},
  howpublished = {PsyArXiv},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.31234/osf.io/2bgr4_v1},
  url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/2bgr4_v1/},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}

RIS

TY  - UNPB
TI  - Postpartum Depression Risk Following Exposure to Universal and Unconditional Perinatal Cash Transfers
AU  - Crystal Cederna
AU  - Rachel Hollander
AU  - Jenny LaChance
AU  - Sumit Agarwal
AU  - Mason Hambley
AU  - Eric Finegood
AU  - Maya Wolock
AU  - Rachel Ablir
AU  - Shannon Coughlin
AU  - Sooin Choi
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/31
PB  - PsyArXiv
DO  - 10.31234/osf.io/2bgr4_v1
UR  - https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/2bgr4_v1/
AB  - Purpose. Postpartum depression (PPD) disproportionately affects women experiencing socioeconomic hardship. We examined the association between exposure to Rx Kids, the nation’s first universal and unconditional perinatal cash transfer program, and PPD risk among mothers of one-month-old infants.  Methods. This study used Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) data collected from electronic health records of 815 one-month well-child visits between 2022 and 2025, spanning two years before and after Rx Kids implementation. Difference-in-differences analyses compared changes in depression screening outcomes among mothers residing in Flint, Michigan, where Rx Kids was implemented, with changes among mothers residing outside Flint.  Results. In the two years before Rx Kids, the prevalence of high risk PPD scores > 13 was 8.7% in Flint and 6.2% outside Flint; two years after, the prevalence was 3.3% in Flint and 10.4% outside Flint. Rx Kids exposure was associated with a 9.8-percentage-point reduction in high risk PPD scores (95% CI, -16.8 to -2.8, p = 0.006), reversing the preexisting geographic disparity. Reductions were also observed in moderate PPD risk and mean EPDS scores.  Conclusions. Findings suggest that universal and unconditional perinatal cash support may be an effective upstream strategy for preventing PPD, improving maternal mental health, and reducing place-based disparities.
ER  -

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