Working to Advance
Health Equity in Africa

A baseline assessment of the prevalence and determinants of postpartum depression amongst women with young infants in Durban, South Africa

A baseline assessment of the prevalence and determinants of postpartum depression amongst women with young infants in Durban, South Africa

Overview:

The early postpartum period is key in the development of the mother-infant relationship and for the longer term outcome of the child. Investigating the underlying maternal vulnerabilities that disrupt maternal well-being is critical in understanding the development of context appropriate parenting and mental health interventions. Working with women with postpartum depression (PND) is an opportunity to improve parenting skills and experiences with motherhood. This project is adapting and testing the effectiveness of a caregiving and health promotion intervention to address modifiable risk factors of insecure attachment and poor psychosocial stimulation associated with disrupted caregiving.

Objectives:

  • To assess prevalence of postpartum depression amongst women up to 14 weeks postpartum;
  • To explore individual, interpersonal, and structural correlates of postpartum depression;
  • To explore, using qualitative methods, women’s experiences of being parented and their understanding of motherhood.

Methodological Approach:

Quantitative component: Females, age 18 years or older, who present at the study clinic with their biological infant age 0 to < 14 weeks for well-child care (i.e., immunisation, growth monitoring). A sample size of 300 will be required.

Qualitative component: This includes a true sample of mothers (N=60) from the cross sectional study. The qualitative component will lag in timing from the cross-sectional study since the sampling will be dependent on identifying women living with and without HIV as participants. The aim is to link all quantitative variables with qualitative responses in order to ensure a rich data set.