Abstract
Postnatal depression (PND) has been recognized as a significant public health problem, given its high prevalence and pervasive impact not only in mothers’ physical and psychological wellbeing, but also in the mother-child interaction and in the infant’s development. This chapter reviews the developmental and cognitive-emotional-behavioral approach for PND, highlighting the role of risk/vulnerability factors for PND (e.g., history of depression, personality traits such as neuroticism or perfectionism, poor social support) that interact with precipitating/triggering events (stressful situations) to activate both general and motherhood-specific dysfunctional beliefs. When activated, these dysfunctional beliefs were found to influence the way women give meaning to the events (negative automatic thoughts), and consequently how they feel and behave in specific situations. The broader social context (“myths about perfect motherhood”) and the women’s interpersonal context (relationship with partner and with significant others) also play a crucial role in the occurrence and maintenance/exacerbation of PND. Cognitive-behavioral therapy was found to be effective both in preventing and treating PND, regardless of delivery format (individual face-to-face, group, online). An example of case conceptualization and some practical cognitive-behavioral strategies are presented within the current chapter.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
