Longer maternity leave may better protect women from postpartum depression, according to new research from the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law.

The study examined the length of a woman’s leave and postpartum depression symptoms, following a group of 800 women from Minnesota during their first year after giving birth. The women were evaluated on physical and mental health at six weeks, 12 weeks, six months and 12 months postpartum. At six weeks, 12 weeks and six months, the women who were on maternity leave had fewer depressive symptoms than the women who had returned to work. In the study, 7 percent of moms returned to work after 6 weeks of leave, 46 percent by 12 weeks and 87 percent by 6 months.