Severity of Pregnancy Period Discomforts Does It Predict Postpartum Depression and Maternal Attachment?

Abstract

This study was conducted as a follow-up research to determine if the severity of pregnancy period discomforts predicts postpartum depression and maternal attachment or not. The study was planned as a follow-up research in Aydin, Turkey this study was carried out between November 17, 2014, and September 23, 2017, in the gynecology department of a university research and practice hospital and the gynecology and pediatrics clinics of a state hospital, both located in the western region of Turkey. The study was conducted in two interview phases with 493 pregnant women in the first interview; 171 first trimester, 159 second trimester, and 163 third trimester respectively. After their delivery; 229 postpartum women have included in the second interview phase; 83 first-trimester postpartum women, 74 second-trimester postpartum women, 72 third-trimester postpartum women respectively. While choosing those women draw method was applied and they were reached via phone 4-6 weeks after the delivery. In data collection, for the first interview "Sociodemographic and Clinical Information Form" and “Scale for Pregnancy-Related Discomforts-SPRD” were applied to all the pregnant women, for the women in the second interview “Edinburg Postpartum Depression Scale” and “Maternal Attachment Inventory” were used. When the relation between prenatal and postpartum period total scale scores of women who participated in the research was examined; no relation was found between total SPRD scores of first, second, and third trimesters and postpartum depression scores (r=0.143; r=0.060; r=0.066; p>0.05, respectively). There was a low and positive relation between first-trimester SPRD total scores and maternal attachment score (r=0.265; p<0.05); and no relation was found between second and third-trimester SPRD total scores and maternal attachment (r=0.053; r=-0.013; p>0.05, respectively). Discomfort severity related to pregnancy did not predict postpartum depression; first-trimester discomforts related to pregnancy predicted maternal attachment at a very low level but second and third-trimester discomforts did not predict maternal attachment.