Table 1. Sample Characteristics by Postpartum Employment Status

Characteristics	Not Employed (n = 447; 63.9%)	Employed (n = 253; 36.1%)	Total (n = 700)	P Value^*
Race/ethnicity^{^†}
Non-Hispanic white	68.4	67.1	67.9
Non-Hispanic black	7.5	18.0	11.3
Hispanic	20.3	10.0	16.5
Other race	3.9	4.9	4.2	.007
Maternal age (years)^{^†}
18–24	27.7	31.8	29.2
25–29	29.0	23.9	27.1
30–34	25.3	30.0	27.0
≥35	18.0	14.4	16.7	.475
Educational attainment^{^†}
High school or less	48.9	30.7	42.3
College	44.3	55.9	48.5
More than college	6.8	13.5	9.2	.004
Marital status^{^‡}
Unmarried	20.1	33.6	25.0
Married	79.9	66.4	75.0	.013
Partnership status^{^‡}
Does not have partner	5.9	9.1	7.0
Has partner	94.1	90.9	93.0	.369
Family income^{^†}
Low (<$50,000)	54.7	43.5	50.6
Medium ($50,000–99,999)	32.3	36.0	33.6
High (≥$100,000)	13.1	20.5	15.8	.098
Baby's health status^{^‡}
Good health	96.9	96.0	96.6
Poor health	3.1	4.0	3.4	.558
Parity^{^†}
1	33.8	47.8	38.9
>1	66.2	52.2	61.2	.016
Recent maternal depression (first 8 weeks)^{^‡}
No depression	63.5	61.5	62.8
Minor depression	24.4	23.4	24.0
Major depression	12.1	15.1	13.2	.756
Maternal postpartum problems (mean)^{^§}
Minor physical problems	2.8	2.7	2.8	.761
Major physical problems	1.3	1.7	1.5	.123
Depressive symptoms (PHQ-2 = 3+)^{^‡}
No	79.2	87.3	82.1
Yes	20.9	12.7	17.9	.093

Data are percentages unless otherwise indicated. Note that estimates are self-weighted in accordance with the survey design for national representativeness. Reported
↵* P values are from χ² tests for categorical variables and adjusted Wald tests for continuous variables.
↵† Measure was created from item(s) on the Listening to Mothers II survey (baseline).
↵‡ Measure was created from item(s) on the Listening to Mothers II–Postpartum survey (follow-up).
↵§ Measure was created from Listening to Mothers II baseline and postpartum surveys combined.