Effect of Educational Program on Preventing Postpartum Depression among Mothers

Abstract

Background: Postpartum depression is a mood disorder that begins after childbirth and usually lasts beyond six weeks, in some cases up to a year. Aim: The study aimed to evaluate the effect of educational program on preventing postpartum depression among mothers. Design: A quasi experimental prepost test of two groups was used. Setting: This study was conducted in Obstetrics and Gynecological outpatient clinic at Benha university hospital. Sample: A purposive sample of 100 pregnant mothers. Tools: Three tools were used for data collection: 1) A structured interviewing questionnaire include three parts, part I: Include demographic characteristics, part II: Include obstetric history and risk factors of depression during current pregnancy, and part III: Include maternal knowledge questionnaire), 2) Maternal beliefs questionnaire and 3) Edinburgh postpartum depression scale. Results: Total maternal knowledge and beliefs regarding postpartum depression were greatly improved after educational program implementation of the study group than the control group. There was no statistically significant difference between the study and control group pre-program implementation, while there was a highly statistically significant difference between the study and control group post program implementation (after 6 weeks of delivery) regarding preventing of postpartum depression measuring by Edinburgh scale. Conclusion:There was a significant difference in preventing postpartum depression among mothers who received educational program regarding postnatal depression than those who don't. The total maternal knowledge and beliefs regarding postpartum depression were greatly improved after educational program implementation of the study group than the control group. Recommendation: Posters and educational materials about prevention of postpartum depression during pregnancy should be located in well-visible areas in outpatients and private clinics.

Risk of Postpartum Depression: The Considerable Role of Maternal Health Status and Lifestyle

“…Similar to previous studies, we found interesting variations in the risks of PPD in younger age mothers, first-time mothers, mothers with two children, and mothers with more than three children [11,12]. These findings could be related to the lack of experience and awareness of the pressures of motherhood in new and first-time mothers, a lack of social support and the increased amount of care, work and mothering required as the number of children increases [12,16,28] and could be explored further. We also found a significant association between baby age and the risk of PPD, as those with babies under 6 months of age had a higher risk of depression (80% vs. 61%) compared to women whose babies were older.…”

“…These issues require further research to link women's integrative and preventive health policies and programs in order to improve reproductive health and maternal mental health [1][2][3]6,8,9,11,12,16,28]. Attention from primary care providers and other healthcare professionals and policymakers working in the reproductive and maternal health fields is also required [21,34,35].…”

“…Several international studies have discussed lifestyle factors associated with better perinatal mental health outcomes that are considered major safeguards, such as maternal diet, physical activity, and behavioral strategies, e.g., smoking cessation, anxiety/stress reduction, and sleep quality improvement [5,12,[22][23][24][25][26][27]. Research has also addressed the impact and importance of maternal age, level of education, and social support in mitigating the risk of poor maternal mental health and wellbeing [8,11,12,16,28].…”