The relationship between postpartum depression and maternal confidence in Hispanic mothers

The purpose of this study was to determine a relationship between postpartum depression and maternal confidence in Hispanic women at two and four months after delivery using a nonexperimental descriptive correlational design. Sixty Hispanic mothers were obtained using a nonrandomized consecutive sampling technique on women who met the specified criteria. Subjects completed self-administered. . questionnaires in a secluded area at a nonprofit minimal fee for service pediatric clinic in an urban area in the southwestern part of the United States. Every subject completed a demographic information sheet along with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale used to measure postpartum depression and the Maternal Confidence Questionnaire, which measured perception of maternal confidence. The result indicated that postpartum depression occurred in this sample of Hispanic mothers at the higher level of established values. At two months 21 % of the • + :' women (13) and at four months 26% of the women (12) scored depressed. Sixty-nine; I percent of the women (9) who scored depressed at two months proceeded to score depressed at the four month data collection. An attrition rate of twenty-two percent (13 subjects) was noted. Using a Pearson Product-Moment Correlation a significant inverse relationship was found between postpartum depression and maternal confidence at two months (r = -.383, n = .007, n = 49) and a stronger relationship was present at four months (r = -.573, Q = .000, !! = 45) after delivery. At four months postpartum depression accounted for approximately one third of the variation of maternal confidence in this sample. Postpartum depression interferes with the mother's ability to care for her infant and to build confident skills in the maternal role. Nurses are in ideal positions to develop protocols to identify and intervene with all mothers who bring their infants into well child clinics for health checkups beginning at birth. Early identification and intervention may lead to a decrease in long-term negative effects on child development.

Author dc:creator

• Montgomery, Diane F.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Newman, Mary
• Wieck, Lynn
• Landrum, Peggy

• Health and environmental sciences
• Psychology
• Hispanic
• Maternal confidence
• Mothers
• Postpartum depression

Language dc:language

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/11274/12212

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:tdl-ir.tdl.org:11274/12212