Social Workers’ Screening Practices for Postpartum Depression

Abstract

The Affordable Care Act specifies mothers living with postpartum depression (PPD) are a group in need of services. Although mothers with PPD prefer to receive services from social workers than from professionals from other disciplines, limited research has addressed where social workers learn how to screen for PPD, the instruments they use, in what contexts they screen, and at what point during the perinatal period they screen mothers. The authors used an online survey to study a national sample of perinatal social workers (n=261) on their screening practices of mothers with PPD. More than half (n=149, 57.1%) of the respondents indicated they neither learned how to screen nor how to diagnose PPD during their undergraduate or graduate school education. Despite the availability of easy-to-use PPD screening instruments, only 25% (n=66) of the respondents indicated they have used any screening instruments. Of added concern is that many of the respondents indicated they do not consult the professional literature on PPD from social work and other disciplines to guide them in their practice. We recommend social workers integrate relevant findings from evidence-based research about PPD into their practice as appropriate, and that BSW and MSW curricula incorporate relevant information on PPD into their programs. Keywords: Social work practice; postpartum depression; maternal and child health; assessment and evaluationPostpartum depression (PPD) affects up to 25.0% of all new mothers (Gaynes et al., 2005) and an even greater proportion of new mothers from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2008). Because mothers living with PPD are more likely to seek services from social workers than from professionals from other disciplines (Zittel-Palamara, Rockmaker, Schwabel, Weinstein, & Thompson, 2008), social workers are in an excellent position to screen new mothers for PPD (Abrams & Curran, 2007). To date, however, there has been limited research that has investigated whether or not social workers screen new mothers at risk for PPD.Despite the fact that social workers have a long-standing history of providing services to mothers and children, there has been little research published in social work journals to guide them in their work with mothers with PPD (Keefe, Brownstein-Evans, Lane, Carter, & Rouland Polmanteer, 2015). Although relevant to the population of mothers living with PPD, research from other professional fields such as nursing and psychiatry is more likely to address individual/biomedical factors such as hormonal fluctuations than to consider issues known to affect maternal and child well-being such as neighborhood safety and domestic violence (Lane et al., 2008). The authors of this study conducted a nationwide Literature Review Understanding Postpartum Depression (PPD)PPD has come into the public's consciousness over the past 30 years, when highly publicized accounts of new mothers harming their newborn infants catalyzed legislators to begin addres...

"I Gotta Carry The Burden By Myself"

“…Because women of color are less likely than White women to access mental health services (Kozhimannil et al, 2011), health professionals should address access barriers to services and engage in rapport and trust-building to link mothers with professionals. Furthermore, practitioners, particularly social workers, are encouraged to screen mothers for PPD and receive education on best screening practices with mothers of color (Polmanteer et al, 2016). Some of the mothers in this study report wanting connection and friendship with other adults including other mothers.…”

The Integration of the Resolved Through Sharing Perinatal Bereavement Follow-up Model with Latinx Cultural Values: A Case Illustration

“…The current literature highlights several challenges to effective interventions for birthing people experiencing a loss (Côté-Arsenault et al, 2019 ). Frequently, general bereavement interventions are assumed to be effective and, therefore, not tested (Rouland et al, 2017 ). Birthing people who suffer pregnancy loss have identified compassionate and culturally congruent patient-centered care as essential for their recovery (Furtado-Eraso et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Thus, it is essential to identify specific aspects of successfully providing emotional care to people suffering from perinatal loss (Côté-Arsenault et al, 2019 ). Though there is a range of recommendations for the clinical management of perinatal loss post-discharge, an individual’s psychological and emotional support may be lacking (Rouland et al, 2017 ; Wright, 2016 ). Hence, studies investigating holistic care would benefit healthcare providers in better managing perinatal losses.…”

The Normative Nature of Depression Among Impoverished Mothers of Color: “. . .going around this big old circle . . . it always remain the same”

“…PPD, a subtype of major depressive disorder, affects many new mothers within one month following childbirth (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Although perinatal mood disorders are extremely common after childbirth (Dennis, 2014), formal screening is not regularly conducted (Rouland Polmanteer, Keefe, & Brownstein-Evans, 2016) despite strong recommendations put forward by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (2016). Many affected women remain undiagnosed and thus go without effective treatment (U.S.…”