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Published on: June 10, 2013
Maternity blues and postpartum depression
C T Beck1, M A Reynolds, P Rutowski
1Florida Atlantic University, College of Nursing, Boca Raton 33431-0991.
Objective:
To investigate the relationship between maternity blues and postpartum depression in mothers discharged early from the hospital and those discharged after the customary length of hospital stay.
Design:
A descriptive correlation design.
Setting:
550-bed community and teaching hospital in the midwestern United States.
Participants:
49 privately paying, primiparous, American-born women, 18 years of age or older, with uncomplicated pregnancies and vaginal deliveries of healthy neonates weighing 2,600-4,000 g.
Measures:
Stein Maternity Blues Scale and Beck Depression Inventory were used to collect data.
Results:
No significant differences found between the two groups of mothers; significant relationships found between maternity blues at 1 week after delivery and postpartum depression at 6 and 12 weeks after delivery.
Conclusions:
Early discharge appears to pose no threat to psychologic well-being. Primiparas experiencing more severe maternity blues are at increased risk for postpartum depression.
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