Maternal social support, quality of birth experience, and post-partum depression in primiparous women.
BACKGROUND
Social relationships provide individuals with a general sense of self-worth, psychological wellbeing, as well as allowing them access to resources during stressful periods and transitions in life. Pregnancy is a time of significant life change for every woman. The aim of this study was to verify the influence of social support perceived by mothers during pregnancy on the quality of their birth experience and post-partum depression.


METHODS
A longitudinal study at three different times was carried out on 179 nulliparous pregnant women. Women completed a Maternal Social Support Questionnaire during the third trimester of their pregnancy. Then, on the first day after childbirth, clinical birth indices were collected. Finally, a month after childbirth, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was administered.


RESULTS
Post-partum depression was influenced negatively by maternal perceived social support and positively by negative clinical birth indices. In addition to these direct effects, analyses revealed a significant effect of maternal perceived social support on post-partum depression, mediated by the clinical indices considered.


CONCLUSIONS
Social support perceived by mothers during pregnancy plays a significant role as a protection factor against post-partum depression, both directly and indirectly, reducing the negative clinical aspects of the birth experience.
a Department of Health Sciences , University of Florence , Florence , Italy and.
Franca
F
Tani
b Obstetrics and Gynecology Unit, Local Health Unit 4 (USL 4) Prato - Maternal and Child Health , Prato , Italy.
Valeria
V
Castagna
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D010298:Parity; D036801:Parturition / Q000523:psychology*; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000523:psychology; D011247:Pregnancy; D037841:Pregnant People / Q000523:psychology*; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
Delivery clinical aspects; maternal social support; post-partum depression; prenatal attachment