Influence of socio-economic factors on emotional changes during the postnatal period

Abstract

Objectives. The aim of the study was to identify socio-economic factors that may influence the emotional changes which occur among new mothers in the first days postpartum. Materials and method. A group of 541 women completed a questionnaire consisting of 30 multiple-choice questions, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Statistical calculations were performed with the use of Statistica v.10 and Cytel Studio v. 9.0.0. Results. The findings revealed the presence of factors which might increase the risk of mood disorders during the postpartum period.Conclusions. Women who demonstrate warning symptoms should be screened for postnatal emotional changes and mood swings during their hospitalization after delivery. EPDS seems to be a suitable tool for early detection of emotional disturbances.

Adesão à consulta puerperal: facilitadores e barreiras

“…11 There was predominance of puerperal women who did not have their own income for performing unpaid domestic activities or being students (52.6%). These results are in accordance with data found in the literature, which showed that 49.4 to 77.7% 12,14,19,21 of the puerperal women devoted their time to household activities and did not have their own income. Low income was associated with non-adherence to postpartum consultations in the southern region of Brazil 11 ; however, there was no association between income/occupation and adherence to the puerperal consultation in the study sample.…”

“…Most of the puerperal women claimed to be married; however, the rate of women in stable unions was lower than the results of studies conducted in different locations in the country 11,13 and in other countries 16,19 , where the rates go from 70 to 100%. In the literature, the partner's support during the puerperium is signaled as relevant in moments of emotional fragility and uncertainty 9 and is associated with higher scores of mother-baby bond 17 , positive feelings in the puerperium 19 and higher rates of family planning 18,20 , although in this study, the association between having a partner and greater adherence to the consultation has not been proven.…”

“…In relation to maternal schooling, there was a greater number of respondents with complete high school; however, 56.3% had a schooling level below incomplete High School, indicating that it was a sample with low education. Schooling was lower than that of other samples of puerperal women who participated in national 11,13,19 and international [15][16]19 studies. As well as the results presented in this study, an association of non-adherence to the puerperal consultation and children with low schooling was verified in a study carried out in the southern region of the country.…”

“…[9][10] The interviewed women were in the age group considered as 'fertile age', as well as puerperal women who participated in other national and international studies. [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] However, the mean age (25 years old) was lower than the one found in studies conducted in the southern region of the country 11 , in the city of São Paulo 20 , in Sweden 14 , United States 16 and Poland. 19 Although they were below the age of other studies, no associations were found between adherence and maternal age.…”

Gestações na adolescência e adesão à consulta puerperal

“…As mulheres entrevistadas estavam na faixa etária considerada como idade fértil, assim como puérperas que participaram de outros estudos nacionais e internacionais (18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24) . No entanto, a idade média (25 anos) foi inferior à encontrada em estudos realizados na região sul do país (18) e na Polônia (24) .…”