Related factors of postpartum depression in mothers of preterm infants in neonatal intensive care unit

Abstract

Objective To assess the prevalence and related factors of postpartum depression in mothers of preterm infants in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods A total of 83 mothers who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were investigated by using Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the comprehensive questionnaire for mothers of preterm infants in NICU, and the analysis was performed on SPSS 13.0 using the Spearman correlation analysis and Logistic regression analysis. Results Among the 83 mothers, 38 got the EPDS score of 10 and above, which accounted for 45.78% (38/83). The disease severity (OR = 3.318, P < 0.01), the worry about disease prognosis (OR = 4.348, P <0.01), the worry about mental development of the newborn (OR = 5.420, P < 0.01) were the risk factors for postpartum depression in mothers of preterm infants in NICU. Conclusions It's different from the correlation to postpartum depression in mothers of full-term newborns, the correlation to postpartum depression in mothers of preterm infants in NICU are closely related to premature and admission in NICU. The mothers of preterm infants in NICU are the high -risk population for postpartum depression. Routine screening mechanism for mothers of preterm infants should be established for early detection and treatment of postpartum depression, and to promote maternal and infant health. Key words: Intensive care units, neonatal; Depression, postpartum; Prematurity