Abstract
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a significant public and mental health issue, with long-lasting effects on mothers and children. It is expected to be the second largest problem among all general health issues by the year 2030 and 10% - 20% of new mothers experience PPD globally. Early intervention has shown to be effective yet the consensus on best practice is not clear. This systematic review aimed to synthesize prior research to provide practical recommendations for the best practices for both intervention and prevention of PPD. The following databases were scanned: PsychiatryOnline, PsycArticles, PsycBooks, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, ERIC, and EBSCO. The search included the following keywords: postpartum depression, postpartum mental health, risk factors, intervention, prevention, efficacy, group therapy and empowerment, and perinatal and postnatal. The PRISMA checklist was used to screen studies for inclusion. Using the described search strategy, 45 articles were identified for synthesis. The following themes emerged in the literature: a variety of approaches focus on empowerment, and perceived competency. These themes appeared across various at-risk groups and in different cultural and socioeconomic groups. Recommendations for further investigation include the development of targeted treatment approaches, defining and objectifying maternal empowerment and self-efficacy, and the development of standardized training to improve provider competency so as to benefit mothers, children, communities, and the psychological community at large.
Highlights
Postpartum depression (PPD) was introduced in the 4th edition of this manual, printed in 1994 (APA, 2013)
In the American Psychological Associations’ 5th Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5), it is found under the major depressive category as a postpartum onset qualifier (APA, 2013)
The purpose of this study was to systematically examine the research prevention and treatment of Postpartum Depression as well as the effects untreated PPD has on mother and child
Summary
Postpartum depression (PPD) was introduced in the 4th edition of this manual, printed in 1994 (APA, 2013). In the American Psychological Associations’ 5th Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5), it is found under the major depressive category as a postpartum onset qualifier (APA, 2013). While PPD is marked as a qualifier rather than a distinct diagnosis, its effect is far reaching and has garnered attention from researchers across fields including but not limited to psychology, public health, nursing, obstetrics, and neurology (Kingston et al, 2012; Srivastava et al, 2015; Beck, 2002; Meltzer-Brody & Steube, 2014; Fiorelli et al, 2015). Research on PPD has addressed possible predicting factors and causal relationships, including poor social support, a maternal history of depression, marital or relationship strength and stressful life events (Goodman, 2009; Scott, 2014; Field, 2017; Heck, 2018). Brazeau et al (2018) asserted that mothers’ low parenting self-efficacy was linked to both postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety
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