Postpartum depression-an exploratory mixed method study for developing an indigenous tool

Motherhood is considered to be a joyous occasion cross-culturally but can bring forth an array of issues including depression. In Asia, Pakistan is dangerously high on the prevalence of postpartum depression (PPD) with sporadic results ranging from 28 to 63%, which could be due to the use of non-indigenous tools.

An exploratory study-mixed method design was implied. During phase I mothers in the postpartum phase (up to 12 months) and experts were interviewed, items were generated, and pilot study was conducted. In second phase exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to establish construct validity, convergent and divergent validity was also established.

A pool of 46 items was generated related to postpartum depression, which was reduced to 35 items as per the factor loading of 0.5 in exploratory factor analysis. Psychometric properties of the scale revealed good reliability (Cronbach α = 0.92) and factor structure of the scale. As per exploratory factor analysis five factors were revealed, explaining 58.07% variance, and the model was confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis. The scale showed significant positive correlation with Edinburgh' postpartum depression scale, depression anxiety and stress scale; establishing convergent validity and significant negative correlation with satisfaction with life scale; establishing divergent validity of the scale.

Questionnaire of postpartum depression scale is a reliable and valid tool that can be used to measure postpartum depression in Asian mothers and provide targeted interventions.