A Clinical Study on the Postpartum Depression

Hwang, J Y; Kim, Y K; Koh, S B; Huh, C K; Park, J D

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
Postpartum depression is a kind of serious problem which influences on the parturients, her family and the growth of the newborn infant. It usually arises in 10 to 15% of the parturients. If they are not treated early enough the unhappy seriousness can be resulted. This study was undertaken to motivate and help obstetrician in preventing and treatment of postpartum depression by early detection of causative factors.
METHODS
Beck Depression Inventory [21 questions in the questionnaire] was used to 138 parturients who visited to Taegu Catholic medical center for delivery, from January 1, 1998 to February 28, 1998.Many factors including age, education, religion, type of marriage, work during pregnancy, living with parents of husband, experience of delivery, difficulty for success of pregnancy, planned pregnancy, delivery method, sex of newborn, satisfaction with sex of newborn, and nursing plan of newborn were evaluated, and the relations with the incidence of postpartum depression was studied.
RESULTS
Among the researched 13 factors, there were significant relationship between difficult pregnancy success group, cesarean section group, unplanned pregnancy group and increased frequency of postpartum depression[p<0.05].
CONCLUSION
Based on the above results, paying attention to the patients who had various factors for developing postpartum depression could contribute to prevent unhappiness of patients and her family.