Psychosocial Factors Involved with the Development of Postpartum Depression: an Integrative Review

Abstract

Introduction: The pregnancy is a period in which the woman goes through physiological and emotional changes. Given this, it is observed that women with low education and low income are vulnerable to being affected by Postpartum Depression (PPD). There are factors that are related to the case series of this disease, so it is necessary to identify them so that a better strategy for caring for women with PPD. Objective: Conduct an integrative review on the psychosocial factors involved in the development of postpartum depression, according to literary publications from 2009 to 2019. Methodology: This was an integrative bibliographic review conducted from February to June 2019. The databases consulted were: VHL, SciELO and PubMed, using the following descriptors: "Postpartum Depression", "Postpartum Period" and "Mental Health", combined by the operators "AND" and/or "OR". We found 273 publications, which after reading and applying the inclusion and exclusion criterion left 07 publications. Results: The main factors related to PPD were stress, lack of psychosocial support, anxiety and distress, as well as unwished pregnancy and family problems. In addition, specific protocols for the diagnosis of this disease and lack of preparation of health professionals for reception are lacking. Conclusion: More efficient public policies and specific protocols for the treatment of PPD are needed, as well as the creation of new strategies to reduce the incidence of PPD. Emphasizing the importance of monitoring these women by a multidisciplinary health team in order to gain a holistic view of this problem.