Analysis of determinants of postpartum emotional disorders

Abstract

Background: The birth of a child entails major changes in a woman’s life. In the perinatal period, the woman is particularly susceptible to emotional problems. The objective of the present paper was to investigate the relationship between global orientation to life and its components on the one hand, and socio-demographic factors on the other, with regard to early postpartum emotional disorders. Methods: The study included 643 patients hospitalized in obstetric departments in Lublin, Poland, who had had a spontaneous vaginal delivery. Research instruments included: the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), the Orientation to Life Questionnaire (SOC-29), and the authors’ own survey questionnaire to record participants’ characteristics. Results: The study findings indicate an association between lower levels of postpartum blues and higher levels of global sense of coherence, as well as a stronger sense of meaningfulness, manageability, and comprehensibility. More severe emotional disorders were found in patients who were single. Postpartum blues symptoms were more intense in less educated respondents. Conclusions: Postpartum emotional disorders are associated with a global sense of coherence and its components. Higher levels of SOC reduce the risk of postpartum blues.