Impact of Social Networking Sites on Post-Partum Depression in Women: An Analysis in the Context of Bangladesh

Postpartum Depression (PPD) refers to moderate or severe depression in a woman after childbirth. It is strikingly common in new mothers from all regions of the world with a prevalence of around 10-15%. PPD can have severe adverse effects on maternal and child health, such as suicidal tendency of the mother, infanticide as well as poor cognitive and developmental growth of the child. Despite this, few women seek medical attention due to ignorance, negligence and financial limitations; the latter is especially true for those who live in developing countries. Nowadays, social networking sites (SNS) e.g., Facebook can act as accessible and effective tools for the prevention and treatment of PPD. In this paper, we analyze the opinions and awareness level of Bangladeshi people about PPD and impact of using SNS during postpartum period on reducing PPD based on our survey (N = 93). We also discuss possible SNS-based interventions and design implications that can effectively and feasibly reduce PPD in women in developing countries

A Close and Supportive Interparental Bond During Pregnancy Predicts Greater Decline in Sexual Activity From Pregnancy to Postpartum: Applying an Evolutionary Perspective

A common topic for advice given to parents after childbirth – both from relationship experts and popular media – is how to “bounce back” to one’s pre-pregnancy sexuality, with warnings that postpartum declines in sexual frequency will take a serious toll on one’s relationship. However, these admonishments may not accurately reflect the ways in which the unique reproductive context of pregnancy and the postpartum transition alter associations between sexual frequency and relationship quality. Evolutionary perspectives on reproductive strategies would suggest that in the postpartum context, decreased sexual activity would help target parental investment in the current offspring (rather than creating new offspring); however, if the parental relationship is lacking in intimacy and support, continued sexual activity may help seal the cracks in the bond. We tested this theory in a longitudinal dyadic study of changes in relationship quality and sexual frequency from pregnancy to 6 months postpartum among 159 heterosexual couples. We found that across three different measures of relationship quality taken from interviews and behavioral observation of couple interactions, higher relationship quality (i.e., greater support, intimacy, and responsiveness) predicted greater decline in sexual frequency whereas sexual frequency remained relatively stable in lower quality relationships. These findings suggest that, during the postpartum transition, decreased sexual frequency may not be a reliable signal of poor relationship quality

Social media markers to identify fathers at risk of postpartum depression : a machine learning approach

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a significant mental health issue in mothers and fathers alike; yet at-risk fathers often come to the attention of health care professionals late due to low awareness of symptoms and reluctance to seek help. This study aimed to examine whether passive social media markers are effective for identifying fathers at risk of PPD. We collected 67,796 Reddit posts from 365 fathers, spanning a 6-month period around the birth of their child. A list of "at-risk"words was developed in collaboration with a perinatal mental health expert. PPD was assessed by evaluating the change in fathers' use of words indicating depressive symptomatology after childbirth. Predictive models were developed as a series of support vector machine classifiers using behavior, emotion, linguistic style, and discussion topics as features. The performance of these classifiers indicates that fathers at risk of PPD can be predicted from their prepartum data alone. Overall, the best performing model used discussion topic features only with a recall score of 0.82. These findings could assist in the development of support and intervention tools for fathers during the prepartum period, with specific applicability to personalized and preventative support tools for at-risk fathers. © Copyright 2020, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers 2020

Attribution theory and increasing social support for women with postpartum depression: An exploration of perceived stability, onset controllability, and effort

Women with postpartum depression (PPD) deal with the negative impact of depression, as well as the burden of stigma (i.e., negative stereotypes). Guided by the attribution-emotion-action model (Weiner, 1980a), the current studies seek to assess whether emphasizing the temporary nature of PPD (i.e., stability), the uncontrollable development of the ailment (i.e., onset controllability), and whether it appears someone is making an effort to overcome PPD will indirectly result in greater social support, through anger, sympathy, and social support outcome expectations. This approach, utilizing combinations of three different attributions, along with social support outcome expectations as a mediator has not been explored in previous literature; however, data from a Pilot Study suggests it is a viable approach. In Study 1, participants were randomly assigned to read one of eight written vignettes describing a hypothetical situation in which a loved one’s PPD is temporary or permanent, onset uncontrollable or onset controllable, and where a loved one is described as exerting effort or not exerting effort to overcome her PPD. Results indicate that main effects and interactions of these three attributions are useful in reducing stigma by increasing willingness to help a loved one with PPD. Study 2 examined the effectiveness of anti-stigma video PSAs by using a more stringent test of attribution theory (i.e., examining only positive attributions rather than comparing them to negative attributions). Eight different PSA videos were used which emphasized that PPD can be temporary, that women cannot control developing PPD, and that effort is being put forth to overcome PPD. Results indicate that emphasizing the temporary nature of PPD and that effort is being expended to overcome this ailment can be a successful approach. This set of studies demonstrates the applicability of attribution theory to the PPD domain and provides insight into the stigmatization of women with PPD and offers a possible path for reducing PPD stigmatization while also expanding our understanding of attribution theory through a novel approach

Predictors of Postpartum Depression: The Role of Emotion Regulation, Maternal Self-Confidence, and Marital Satisfaction on Postpartum Depression

Postpartum Depression (PPD) is a serious mother’s mental health problem that may endanger the safety of mother and her child. This study aimed to identify whether emotion regulation, maternal self-confidence, and marital satisfaction could be a significant predictor of PPD. The participants of this study were 100 women who gave birth in the past 2-24 weeks. Research instruments presented via online platform, comprised of: ASIPP (Alat Asesmen Ibu Postpartum/Postpartum Maternal Assessment Tool containing the Emotion Regulation Scale, the Maternal Self-Confidence Scale, and the Marital Satisfaction Scale) and the early detection scale for postpartum depression. Regression analysis showed that only maternal self-confidence and emotional regulation were proven significant in simultaneously predicting PPD, while marital satisfaction was not proven to significantly predict PPD either partially or simultaneously. This finding suggested that psychological prevention programs for postpartum mothers were better focused on encouraging maternal self-confidence and emotion regulation ability of the mothers