A survey of postpartum depression and health care needs among Chinese postpartum women during the pandemic of COVID-19.
Ran An, Xiaoli Chen, Yuanyuan Wu and 4 others
PMID 33781396WHAT IT FOUND
Among 209 Chinese postpartum women surveyed during COVID, 56.9% screened positive for depressive symptoms; perceived stress, age 25-34 and history of abortion were linked to higher scores.
Most wanted infant care and protection guidance.
Key findings
0156.9% of postpartum women had EPDS scores of 10 or higher; 33.5% scored above 12.
02Perceived stress, age 25-34 and history of abortion were reported as significant predictors of higher EPDS scores.
03The most common health care needs were infant rearing guidance (78.0%) and maternal and infant protection guidance (60.3%); depressed women more often wanted psychological rehabilitation guidance (34.5% vs 20.0%).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Convenience sampling and online distribution mean the women studied may not represent all postpartum women. The cross-sectional design cannot show that stress, age or abortion history caused higher depression. EPDS scores are self-report screening results, not clinical diagnoses. The study did not collect the type of abortion or screen for abuse. It did not measure depressive symptoms during pregnancy, so postpartum scores may reflect earlier depression. Online questionnaire data quality may be lower than paper questionnaire data quality.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the 56.9% screening-positive rate as a diagnosis or proof that the pandemic caused postpartum depression. The study used a self-report cutoff in a convenience sample, was cross-sectional, and only reported associations.