The purpose of this study is to organize and review the relationship among the evaluation methods of physiological evaluation indicators, psychological evaluation indicators and social evaluation indicators of the stress reaction of mothers during the time of infant rearing using previous studies as data. Regarding the research method, a keywords search was conducted in three stages. The words at the first stage were, "Infant-Rearing", "Maternal" and "Postpartum", at the second stage were, "Anxiety" and "Depression" and at the third stage were, "Autonomic", "Hormone", "Immunity" and "Oxidative stress marker" using "Japana Centra Revuo Medicina Web version 4" and "Pub Med" for the years 2000 to 2010 (through the end of September). The subjects of analysis were a total of twenty six pieces of literature consisting of eight domestic articles and eighteen foreign articles. We analyzed the subject literature in relation to "subject person", "time of study", "kind of evaluation indicators", and "physiological evaluation indicators", "psychological evaluation indicators" and "social evaluation indicators". As a result, cortisol was the most common physiological evaluation indicator and the most common specimens were blood, salvia and urine. Also, although there were common reports indicating cortisol is positively associated with a psychological negative response, there were results with a slightly different indication and a report showing a non-direct relationship. Moreover, each report indicated a different result in regard to dopamine, thyroid hormone, ovarian hormone and S-IgA. As stated above, it is suggested that it is necessary to perform a cross-discipline study from physiological・psychological・social viewpoints using the most appropriate evaluation indicators for studying maternal stress reaction during the time of infant rearing.

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The aim of this research was to explore the relations between depressive states and changes in plasma level of cortisol, inflammatory cytokine IL-1β and TNF-α. 72 healthy women ranging from 18 to 77 years old were recruited. Plasma concentrations of ACTH, cortisol, IL-1β and TNF-α were measured. Also two types of psychological-emotional test batteries (Y-G characteristic inventory test and POMS) were studied. Plasma IL-1β significantly elevated as the depression scores of Y-G characteristic inventory test increased. This means IL-1β elevates as the depressive states progressed even in healthy women. Subjects were divided into two groups due to the differences between the IL-1β concentration and deression scores. Subjects who showed both of higher IL-1β and depression scores were divided into group H (n=4) and the other subjects were divided into group L (n=68). Group H showed significantly (p<0.05) higher plasma cortisol and TNF-α level compared with group L. There were no significant differences in age, heights, weights and BMI in two groups. These results suggested that in depressive women, hyper activatation of hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal pathway elevates the level of plasama cortisol. Depressed activities of immune system caused by elevation of cortisol evokes the activation of IL-1β secretion which synergize tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) to stimulate chemokine secretion. TNF-α is considered as the main risk factor of vascular disease. Depression seems to dysregulate the secretion of adipocytokines which should promote vascular inflammation and lead to vascular events.

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