Introduction
Postpartum depression is a health problem that is currently of great concern to medical professionals and scientists. This is because it has substantial negative consequences for mothers in the form of deterioration of their psychological state. Moreover, it seriously affects children’s well-being and development and their future lives. Thus, studying this issue and its causes and influencing factors is essential in healthcare. This literature review will investigate how the presence of depression in expectant mothers affects the increased risk of postpartum depression in women.
Conducting this research work can significantly contribute to the state and community levels. This is because, despite increased concern, this issue has a paucity of research on causes, risks, and outcomes (Slomian et al., 2017). Thus, at the state level, conducting a review of the existing literature can help develop and improve existing ways to address and manage the occurrence and management of maternal postpartum depression.
Moreover, increased awareness of the problem is possible at this level and the community level. This is because many people do not perceive the problem, thus ignoring it. In addition, due to the lack of knowledge in this area, women do not realize that they have postpartum depression, which worsens both their well-being and directly affects the child and their relationships with others.
It is worth noting that the transformation of the existing ecological model becomes particularly important when considering this problem. It implies the interaction and dependencies of aspects within health care. Thus, it is necessary to address the issue on multiple levels. This implies assistance not only in the immediate onset and diagnosis of postpartum depression. This aspect also implies training and educating women on the subject and making them aware of various resources that can provide even more helpful information. Moreover, it is essential to maintain the psychological health of the population and to deepen the study of the causes and consequences of depression in people.
Thus, the health behavior of interest within this literature review becomes postpartum depression. Sources written after 2016 were chosen for analysis because they have greater relevance to this research paper. The central population to be studied is women between the ages of 25 and 35. Research has shown that this health problem occurs most often in women ages 25-29 and 30-34 (Silverman et al., 2017). Race and ethnicity were irrelevant to the work since postpartum depression is plagued by women regardless of these characteristics.
Of particular relevance were existing medical conditions, chief among which was undiagnosed and undiagnosed depression. Therefore, research has shown that the stressful state during pregnancy is of great importance and influences the occurrence of postpartum depression (Zaidi et al., 2017). Following these aspects will help further the most comprehensive and practical literature review.
Research Objective
Determining the research objective is of particular value because it has a significant impact on the effectiveness of the research and the most efficient and productive results. Thus, it affects such aspects as population identification, literature review, and further application of research tools. Consequently, the main research objective of this research paper becomes “the study of how depression in expectant mothers affects the increased chance of postpartum depression (PPD).” It follows from this statement that the dependent variable is postpartum depression, and the independent variable is depression in expectant mothers.
Etiology of Health Behavior
Postpartum depression is a health issue that is gaining more and more criticality over time. The importance of its study lies in the fact that, due to the lack of scientific interest in the problem, it has acquired serious consequences at the moment. First of all, it is necessary to study its etiology to gain a complete picture of the causes, symptoms, and risk factors. Based on this information, it is possible to further develop strategies and interventions to limit the occurrence of postpartum depression in women.
Thus, first of all, it is necessary to consider the causes that can lead to the occurrence of postpartum depression. For example, studies have noted that the increase and worsening of stress in women after childbirth become addictive habits during pregnancy, such as drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes (Bauman et al., 2020). Moreover, it is noted that intimate partner violence before or during pregnancy is of particular importance. This event, by its very nature, can have a significant impact on a person’s mental state, and when pregnancy occurs, women are faced with even more damaging thoughts and the development of anxiety. Another risk factor for postpartum depression that is particularly significant is self-reported depression before or during pregnancy (Bauman et al., 2020; Ko et al., 2017). Consideration of these indicators is necessary to provide timely care for women in labor.
The next aspect of studying becomes the consideration of the symptoms of the mental illness under study. Thus, one of the main indicators of deviation becomes the emergence of emotional and psychological decline. Women treat the birth of a child as a negative event in life, do not feel affection for the newborn, and experience anxiety because of this (Radoš et al., 2018).
In addition, the development of postpartum depression causes many other health problems for women. Among them are sleep deprivation, emotional swings, and constant changes in behavior and appetite (Ghaedrahmati et al., 2017). All these aggravate the mother’s nervous system and cause even more anxiety about the baby, loss of interest in life activities, and, in especially serious cases, suicidal thoughts (Ghaedrahmati et al., 2017). These symptoms of postpartum depression are common in 60.8% of women worldwide (Ghaedrahmati et al., 2017). It is worth noting that postpartum depression has many more characteristics, but the data have the greatest prevalence among mothers.
The last aspect, as part of the examination of the etiology of mental illness, becomes its consequences. Therefore, due to postpartum depression, women’s psychological state seriously deteriorates. However, in addition to this, mothers often lose the possibility of breastfeeding.
Another consequence that is also particularly important is the negative impact on maternal and infant bonding (Badr et al., 2018). This can be reflected in a decrease in the rate of development of the newborn and the occurrence of significant delays (Ghaedrahmati et al., 2017). Thus, the above information shows the criticality of studying postpartum depression to improve health outcomes for mothers and limit adverse effects on the baby.
Health Behavior Theory
In order to gain a better understanding of the nature, causes, and ways of treating postpartum depression, it is important to apply health behavior. Social cognitive theory is of particular importance in the context of this work. This theoretical approach is based on the notion that the social context has a special contribution to people’s cognitive development. In other words, the behavior of individuals is a reflection of their environment, interaction with society, and behavior. Social cognitive theory is especially relevant to the study of this research question, as it emphasizes the influence of past experiences and background on the psychological state and behavior of an individual.
Further, the social cognitive theory is based on aspects that shape the behavioral patterns of individuals. It was developed in the 1960s by Albert Bandura and is widely used in health care (Devi et al., 2017). A central aspect of this theoretical approach is reciprocal determinism. It involves taking into account indicators such as behavior, social-environmental, and personal cognition (Luszczynska & Schwarzer, 2020). These aspects are constantly interacted with by each other. The study of the theoretical approach allows us to determine the degree of influence of these factors and to form and identify areas for change in the treatment of postpartum depression.
Thus, the first component of reciprocal determinism is the contribution of the environment to the development of human behavior. In the study of postpartum depression, this indicator is defined as the interaction of normative beliefs, social support, and observational learning. In addition, opportunities and barriers enter this domain as having vital importance for individuals. Thus, the occurrence of postpartum depression is influenced by the worldview of the mother-to-be.
Often, especially among the adult generation, this problem is viewed as insignificant or neglected due to the fact that it has not been prevalent in society before. Because of this, there is no awareness since women do not have an example or person to tell them about postpartum depression. Due to this factor, social support can also be reduced since not all mothers have symptoms of mental disability, which is reflected in the lack of awareness of the issue. Consequently, opportunities and barriers to gaining knowledge about postpartum depression increase the risk of leaving the disorder untreated.
The next component is the personal cognitive aspect, which implies characteristics that have been reinforced in the individual’s personal experience. Thus, it implies self-efficiency, collective efficacy, outcome expectation, and knowledge (Lee et al., 2020). An indicator such as outcome expectation implies the formation of a view of the consequences of certain behavioral experiences.
It can be effective in reconstructing an understanding of the negative impact of postpartum depression by transforming the perception of negative mental and behavioral patterns. For example, building a belief that this mental condition is not the fault of the mother or child and that it can be treated. This also includes self-efficiency, as this aspect implies confidence in the ability to change behavior and make good choices. Collective efficacy is important as part of providing social support and mothers’ belief that the people closest to them are not the enemy and only want to help.
Last but not least, behavior becomes a part of the theoretical approach under study. It includes behavioral skills, intentions and reinforcements, and punishments. For assisted treatment of postpartum depression, behavioral skill changes are of value because they are responsible for a person’s ability to change attitudes in the arising health issue. Henceforth, behavioral patterns shaped by past experiences are changed into those that can limit the further development of symptoms. In addition, intentions are critical because they are responsible for the intrinsic motivation and desire to change the individual’s situation. Reinforcements and punishments can be effective in the formation of new patterns of behavior for learning ways to combat mental illness.
Review of Relevant Interventions and Results
Many interventions and strategies have been introduced to deal with the increasing number of cases of postpartum depression. All of them were based on evidence-based research, which makes some of them effective. It is worth noting that they require a multidisciplinary approach to increase their feasibility (Frieder et al., 2019). The study and analysis of these policies and the results obtained from their implementation are of particular value. This is because this procedure will help identify their strengths and weaknesses and understand what changes should be implemented to increase their success and effectiveness.
The first intervention that has been suggested for the management of postpartum depression in women is a psychological treatment, which is particularly relevant for existing maternal depression. Cognitive behavior or interpersonal therapy is considered one of the most effective methods (Stewart & Vigod, 2019). These interventions have now been specifically adapted for women suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The results of these disease management modalities have shown a positive trend after six months of therapy. It is noted that they can provide support as a catalyst for positive outcomes.
In more serious and neglected cases, interventions with specialized medications or pharmacotherapy are used to treat mental problems. It involves the prescription of antidepressants; however, has a rather small number of scientific papers that examine the topic. In addition, some medical professionals prescribe treatment with neuroactive steroids and γ-aminobutyric acid (Frieder et al., 2019). The best-known medication is Brexanolone (Ali et al., 2021). A study of the effectiveness of this modality has shown a dramatic reduction in symptoms of postpartum depression, which is a positive trend for this area of health care. However, it should be remembered that this intervention may have some side effects, which should be taken into account in each individual case.
Within the proposed interventions, it is worth highlighting the necessity of using screening instruments. Their importance stems from the timeliness of identifying a psychological problem and its treatment in mothers. Thus, especially stands out the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale as a method of self-assessment of the mental state of patients (Kroska & Stowe, 2020). In this method, women are required to answer questions that include characteristics of the illness they may have experienced during the seven days. Next, a specialized assessment is conducted to help determine the extent and severity of the disease. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale is characterized by significant positive contributions to the detection of postpartum depression.
One of the most relatively new interventions to treat the investigated health issue is meditation. It is underlined that it has productivity in the change of behavioral patterns of women (Babbar et al., 2021). They have a special benefit not only in the occurrence of postpartum depression but also as a preventive measure for implementation during pregnancy. Hence, research in the literature has shown that these mindfulness practices report reducing anxiety and depression (Avalos et al., 2020; Babbar et al., 2021). In addition, this intervention has no risks for pregnant and parenting mothers, which also increases the degree of its effectiveness for implementation as a treatment for women.
Conclusion and Public Health Implications
In conclusion, there is no available treatment for postpartum depression in women. This is due to the multiple individual characteristics of mothers. However, determining such an aspect as present depression is critical in the formation of postpartum depression and its severity. Thus, studying this topicality using different health behavior theories is necessary.
Within the framework of this work, cognitive and social theory, which is based on the fact that factors such as behavior, environment, and personal cognition determine the process of the formation of an individual, is particularly effective. Thus, it can be used to find ways to combat the disease under study. Medication, social cognitive theory, and meditation are among the most effective interventions that have had positive results. All of these approaches can be effective in treating mothers who already have existing diagnosed or undiagnosed depression.
Based on the information provided within this paper, it can also be determined that there are several implications regarding this topic and public health. One of the main ones is the limited amount of research on the etiology and treatment of postpartum depression. Therefore, it is a threat to pregnant women due to the lack of awareness and knowledge on this topic. Because of this, many symptoms are ignored by patients, which leads to the deterioration of their mental and physical condition and affects the development of the child.
References
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