Preterm birth : a factor of postpartum depression among mothers residing in Karachi, Pakistan
Date of Award
2010
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Nursing (MScN)
Department
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Pakistan
Abstract
Objective: To determine whether there is a: (a) difference in the rate of PPD between mothers of term and preterm infants, and (b) relationship between parental stress and mother-infant interaction and PPD among mothers of preterm infants. Methodology: A cohort study design in which purposive sampling was used to recruit 170 mothers of term infants and 34 mothers of preterm infants, from The Aga Khan Hospital for Women and Children Garden and Karimabad. The data were collect using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, Parental Stress Scale, Parental Bonding Questionnaire, and a General Questionnaire. A Chi square test was used to determine the differences in the rate of PPD between mothers of term and preterm infants. A Fisher exact test was used to determine whether there was a relationship between parental stress and PPD among mothers of preterm infants. Results: The rate of PPD was significantly higher in mothers of preterm infants (p= 0.014). Mothers' age, number of children, reasons of frequent awakening of infant and birth weight of the infants may account for these differences. Significantly more depressed mothers of preterm infants indicated that they did not receive some level of support from their husband (p=0.03), had some level of difficulty feeding their preterm infant (p=0.03) or had difficulty identifying the amount to feed their infant (p=0.02). No relationship was observed between parental stress and PPD and the relationship between mother-infant interaction and PPD was not tested. Conclusion: The study findings suggest that mothers of preterm infants may be at higher risk for PPD than mothers of term infants; therefore, early intervention could be planned in the form of group teaching sessions which will mothers develop a friendship network to support with the challenges of caring for her preterm infant. No inferences can be made about the relationship between parenting stress and mother-infant interaction and PPD among mothers of preterm infants.
Recommended Citation
Ali, S. A. (2010). Preterm birth : a factor of postpartum depression among mothers residing in Karachi, Pakistan (Unpublished doctoral thesis). Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.