Feasibility of Utilizing E-Mental Health with Mobile APP Interface for Social Support Enhencement: A Conceptional Solution for Postpartum Depression in Taiwan

Abstract

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common issue in global scale. Social support enhancement were proved to be effective for reducing PPD. Currently, there are few researches in Taiwan concerning the subject which were mentioned above. In the other hand, applying E-mental health (EMH) services for social support enhancement has become a trend in modern society. However, few EMH services were designed to target PPD audiences. This research aims to investigate the condition of PPD and social support in Taiwan, in addition, the research also took a look into local reception of EMH services. Questionnaire had been applied to 224 postpartum women through clinical field and forums on the Internet. The result indicates that 27.7% of participant shows potential high risk for PPD, the rate of potential high risk is higher than global average. Negative Correlation between PPD and social support were confirmed. Participants receive more informal social support compares to formal social support. Approximately 90% of the participants were user of EMH services (Social media, Chatroom, Internet forum/Bulletin Board System). About 30% of the participant utilize smartphone APP for EMH services, 25% the participant were unaware of the existence of smartphone APP for EMH services. According to the result, smartphone APP for EMH services were proposed to be a suitable solution for PPD in Taiwan.