Paper Example on Managing Postpartum Depression: Coping Style & Prevalence Rates

Introduction

Postpartum depression (PPD) is the most complex and prevalent complication that occurs after pregnancy. Due to the effects of PPD to the child and the health of the mother, detecting the symptoms and early treatment is vital in the management of PPD. Emerging research areas show that the coping style of an individual during pregnancy will predict depression levels after pregnancy (Deniz & Ayaz, 2014). Research also shows that high prevalence rates are seen amongst the populations of immigrants and mothers with low income. In treatment efforts, there has been extensive research on the improvement of primary care in the treatment of depression. However, there is little research on the treatment of postpartum depression. Currently, the treatments available for PPD are antidepressants, cognitive-behavioural therapies, interpersonal therapies and psychodynamic therapies. This paper presents an analysis of the most effective postpartum coping strategies in reducing postpartum depression.

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Background

According to Hübner-Liebermann et al., 18.4 of all pregnant women exhibit depression symptoms, and 19.2 of all mother's show symptoms of PPD during the first three months. Depressive diseases are the most common diseases amongst young women during pregnancy and after childbirth. The post-natal period is when women undergo considerable psychological adjustment (Wylie et al., 2011). Post-natal depression is non-psychotic depression which occurs within the first month after delivery. PPD is characterized by the inability to experience pleasure, coupled with a depressed mood, panic attacks, anxiety and sometimes suicidal thoughts. PPD is devastating because it does not only affect the mother but the child, work performance and other family members. If PPD is left untreated, it can adversely affect the attachment of the infant to the mother. Additionally, mothers experiencing PPD engage in risky behaviours such as substance abuse (Jones, 2017).

The current attitudes and skills of pediatrics are relevant to the management of postpartum depression. Postpartum interventions need to recognize the importance of perspective and expertise in management. According to Patel and Wisner, treatment decisions after birth and during pregnancy are complex. This is because of uncertainty and the risks which come with reproductive health. Sometimes complications arise due to the preferences of the patient, values and even morbidity. Despite these challenges, there is a lack of enough literature to guide on proper decision making on giving the right treatment, hence the need for further studies on adequate management of PPD.

Research question

What are the most effective coping strategies for reducing postpartum stress?

Hypothesis

Women who use problem-focused coping will report lower stress levels compared to women who use emotion-focused coping strategies.

Justification

Due to the poor understanding of pathways in the management of PPD, there is a need to establish critical aspects of the current knowledge of PPD. This will ensure that healthcare professions improve clinical interventions to childbearing women. Consequently, this will promote the effectiveness of PPD coping strategies.

Methodology

The research will target women of childbearing age, who have given birth within a year from now. The women who have young kids will still have a clear picture of the PPD experienced and can provide reliable data on their experiences (Mendelson et al., 2013). The target populations will mostly be immigrants and mothers from low-income families. This is because the prevalence rate for low-income families and immigrants is higher compared to other communities (Stewart & Vigod, 2016).

The analysis will be aimed at determining the response of the women to the treatment given. Conclusions will tell whether the response was right or not. Depending on the positive reactions, the research will make conclusions on the effective methods in managing PPD. Therefore, only mothers with newborn babies and recently diagnosed with PPD will give relevant information to this study. Women with new infants who are less than six months old will also be targeted for the research. This is because PPD has been shown to last from between 3-6 months in most cases, and only 1% extend to a year.

The data will be collected by contacting the participants by phone and screening them for any symptoms of PPD. This will ensure that emerging cases are recorded, and firsthand information is also collected on the developments. Once PPD is established, we will send an online questionnaire for them to fill. For the participants who have had a child after six months, we will use their hospital records for analysis and data collection. Also, we will liaise with five hospitals to recommend patients who display PPD as our target for the research.

Those who will qualify for the research are those who have a current disorder that was not there initially. This screening will ensure that the correct disorder, PPD, is targeted, and those who initially had depression are not included in the research. Additionally, five hospital reports on PPD patients will be analyzed to conclude the effects of treatment on PPD.

In our case, the dependent variable is postpartum stress. Therefore, interventions will be varied to see how the participants respond. The management methods will determine whether the level of postpartum stress increases, reduces, is wholly managed or is non-responsive. This will be achieved through dividing the participants in a group of five or ten, ensuring that they all have diverse sociodemographic characteristics and if possible different age groups and ethnicity. Participants will then have their mood and social support varied. Some will undergo emotion-focused coping like emotional disclosure, destruction to keep the participants busy, meditation, using drugs and praying. Others will use problem-focused coping, which includes, obtaining instrumental support, solving problems and managing time. This will be varied or interchanged after every six weeks, and the response will be recorded for the different group of patients. Changing the interventions will allow us to confirm the hypothesis on whether; women using problem-focused coping will report lower stress levels compared to women using emotion-focused coping strategies. The specific coping strategy for this experiment will remain constant, and the coping techniques will depend on each participant's ability to improve based on a particular intervention.

The patients will be expected to be on specific interventions of PPD for the recommended period and change to another PPD intervention after every six weeks. The participants are expected to accurately report what they feel and consistently take their medications or receive support as recommended. Participants are also requested to report as soon as they feel better and happier and less depressed.

Our quantitative analysis will focus on the effect of adjusting sociodemographic factors and recording how the different participants responded to the stressors. It will focus on the impact of the 6-week intervention on participants, and the outcomes on their mood regulation. Better regulation of moods will mean that the interventions worked. The analysis will also focus on when during the six weeks, the significant group differences occur.

Conclusion

Postpartum and pregnancy are situations which affect the mental health of childbearing women and those around them. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to proper intervention which suits a particular patient; everyone needs to deliberate on the best option available for them. Research in the area of PPD can help in making better decisions for those affected while meeting the patients' and physicians' expectations.

References

Deniz, C., & Ayaz, S. (2014). Factors causing stress in women with babies 0–3 months old and their Coping styles. Journal of psychiatric and mental health nursing, 21(7), 587-593. (England), 390(10093), 434-435.

Hübner-Liebermann, B., Hausner, H., & Wittmann, M. (2012). Recognizing and treating peripartum Depression. Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, 109(24), 419.

Jones, I. (2017). A postpartum depression-a glimpse of light in the darkness?. Lancet (London)

Mendelson, T., Leis, J. A., Perry, D. F., Stuart, E. A., & Tandon, S. D. (2013). Impact of a preventive intervention for perinatal depression on mood regulation, social support, and coping. Archives of women's mental health, 16(3), 211-218.

O'Mahen, H. A., & Flynn, H. A. (2008). Preferences and perceived barriers to treatment for depression during the perinatal period. Journal of women's health, 17(8), 1301-1309.

Simhi, M., Sarid, O., & Cwikel, J. (2019). Preferences for mental health treatment for postpartum depression among new mothers. Israel Journal of Health Policy Research, 8(1), 84.

Stewart, D. E., & Vigod, S. (2016). Postpartum depression. New England Journal of Medicine, 375(22), 2177-2186.

Wylie, L., Hollins Martin, C. J., Marland, G., Martin, C. R., & Rankin, J. (2011). The enigma of postnatal depression: An update. Journal of psychiatric and mental health nursing, 18(1), 48-58.