Dados do Trabalho

Título

Postpartum depression indicators in the infant's second month of life and social support

Introdução

Depression has been the focus of many investigations on women's mental health, especially during the transition to motherhood. Different social factors such as the marital relationship and family configuration are associated with the clinical picture of postpartum depression. Among these factors, social support networks stand out for providing women with the necessary support for the construction of maternal identity and the formation of a bond with the baby. Considering the different material and social environments in which the support networks operate in the interactive mother-infant processes, it is necessary to expand the knowledge of these relationships in different contexts.

Objetivo

Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the relationships between social support networks and the presence of postpartum depression indicators in the infant's second month of life.

Métodos

Participated 79 mothers selected in four public maternity hospitals in Bahia, who agreed to participate in the study. During the infant's second month of life, the mothers individually answered the Medical Outcomes Study Questionnaire on social support networks and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).

Resultados

Of the five dimensions of social support assessed (affective support, emotional support, material support, information and positive social interaction), three showed significant correlations with BDI's depression scores, such as a) affective support (r = -0.42) ; b) emotional support (r = -0.26); c) support positive social interaction (r = -0.431). The dimensions of material support and information did not correlate with the depression scores. The five dimensions were grouped into three factors, two of which were significantly correlated with BDI scores, namely, a) Factor 1 (affective support and positive social interaction): r = -0.46; b) Factor 2 (emotional support and information): r = -0.25. Correlations involving the dimensions and factors evaluated indicate that lower levels of social support are related to the higher frequency of indicators of depression. The results found corroborate the literature on the relationship between social support and the presence of depression indicators in the context of the transition to motherhood, emphasizing the importance of subjective as emotional and affective aspects of the support matrix.

Conclusões

The study emphasizing the importance of subjective as emotional and affective aspects of the support matrix in maternal context.

Palavras-chave

support, maternity, depression