[A study on the depression level of pregnant women and puerpera]

The samples of this study were 100 pregnant women that visited for antenatal care Chunchon Songshim Hospital and Chunchon Provincial Hospital (Maternal Child Health) and 100 puerpera that were admitted for childbirth to those hospitals August 1 through 31, 1989. The writer is interested in the depression level of pregnant women during pregnancy and that of puerpera after delivery. The results of this study's analysis are: 1. As for the depression level of all the pregnant women and puerpera, the S.D.S. (Self-rating Depression Scale) of the former was 25.4 and that of puerpera, 25.2, and no significant difference was found between the two groups (p greater than 0.05). 2. The analysis by the items showed that the S.D.S. Score of 6 items in pregnant women was higher than in puerpera, and that of 2 items in puerpera was higher than in pregnant women. Generally S.D.S. Score of pregnant women was found higher. 3. As for the length of pregnancy, the S.D.S. Score of pregnant women in early pregnancy (24.5) was higher than that of those in late pregnancy (17.8) to show significant difference between the two (p less than 0.05). 4. As for the depression level of puerpera by the sex of the newborn, the S.D.S. Score of puerpera that gave birth to female babies (2.26) was higher than that of puerpera that gave birth to male babies (1.84) to show significant difference between the two (p less than 0.05). 5. The S.D.S. Score of pregnant women who lived with her husband's parents was higher than that of those who lived without them. And the S.D.S. Score of pregnant women who lived with her husband's parents (28.5) was higher than that of puerpera (26.1) to show significant difference between the two (p less than 0.05).