Thesis (M.A.)--Northern Kentucky University, 2008. / Made available through ProQuest. Publication number: AAT 1450540. ProQuest document ID: 1495967981. Includes bibliographical references (p. 44-46)

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Drexel University, 2008. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 95-110).

Thesis (Honors)--Liberty University Honors Program, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available through Liberty University's Digital Commons.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 214-218). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (D Phil (Psychotherapy))--University of Pretoria, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--Northern Kentucky University, 2007. / Made available through ProQuest. Publication number: AAT 1441405. ProQuest document ID: 1288662621. Includes bibliographical references (p. 28-29)

Thesis (M.A.)--Northern Kentucky University, 2006. / Made available through ProQuest. Publication number: AAT 1436400. ProQuest document ID: 1166591441. Includes bibliographical references (p. 18-20)

Postpartum depression can be defined as a major depressive disorder which usually occurs during the postpartum period within one month or more after giving birth. Literature shows that 35 to 47 per cent of South African women have been diagnosed with major depressive disorder during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Studies stated that the challenges in the South African context regarding the postpartum period includes detachment from care and lack of a support system. Emotions are typically present in the context of relationships, in this case a mother and child relationship. However, research on early childhood has emphasised that the impact of the first five years of a child’s life on his/her social and emotional development is crucial, since children must learn to communicate with emotional language. The role of the mother in a young child’s emotional development is crucial, as the mother models certain behaviour to be imitated by the infant. A phenomenological and multiple case studies research design were followed throughout this qualitative research study. As the aim of the study was to provide information and guidelines for mothers who suffer from postpartum depression, the sample selection focused on participants (mothers) who had experienced postpartum depression and who, in retrospect, could give information about their experience and their perceptions of the effect this syndrome had on the emotional development of their children. Three mothers who were diagnosed with postpartum depression were the participants of this study. In order to get rich in-depth data, they were each interviewed and had to compile a narrative describing their experience with postpartum depression and the effect it had on their child’s emotional development. The three case studies provided a unique insight into the effect of postpartum depression on a young child’s emotional development according to the mother’s experience of postpartum depression. The empirical part of the study revealed that postpartum depression has a severe effect on a child’s emotional regulation and that support was an integral part in overcoming depression. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Early Childhood Education / MEd / Unrestricted

Postpartum psychiatric disorders include the postpartum blues (PBs), postpartum depression (PPD), and postpartum psychosis (PP). The focus of this thesis will be on PPD. PPD is a commonly unrecognized mood disorder affecting up to 15% of women. Of women with PPD, half may go untreated. Untreated PPD has shown significant potential for adverse effects in both mother and child. The reproductive hormone model attributes PPD to the rapid hormone changes following removal of the placenta at delivery. This is especially true of the withdrawal of the reproductive hormones estrogen and progesterone. A true causal pathway or causal factor in PPD depression, however, is yet to be established. Several factors must be taken into account when considering risk. These risk factors include women of low socioeconomic status (SES), women with a history of depression, women with a higher reported average of recent life stressors, women with neurotic and/or shy personalities, and women who experience past and/or present obstetric complications. Currently, the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS), the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS), the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), as well as several other screening tools are used in clinical practice to diagnose PPD. Each screening tool utilizes its own unique method to obtain depression scores from patients. The EPDS is most commonly used, yet, no statistically significant difference has been found between the use of one screening tool over the other. PPD screening tools are seen across OB/GYN practices, family practices, health centers, and pediatric practices. Routine well-child visits represent the most regular contact that mothers have with the healthcare system postpartum, making pediatric primary care practices ideal settings for PPD screening and management. PPD management within primary care primarily involves non-pharmacological interventions such as counseling, psychoeducation, motivating help seeking, encouraging social support, and referring to others as needed. On the other hand, medication management is integrated into the stepped care treatment approach, which screens for and treats PPD in a step-wise fashion tailored to a woman’s risk assessment and responsiveness to treatment. Treatments for PPD have varying success. They may include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SSNRIs), gamma aminobutyric acid receptor A positive allosteric modulators (GABAA receptor PAMs), norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitors (NDRIs), estrogen therapy, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation (n-3 PUFA), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), and bright light therapy (BLT). More statistical evidence currently exists on the use of pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatments, and less on the ECT and BLT clinical treatments. Mothers deciding on which treatment to pursue should consider the potential for psychotropic and estrogen medications to pass into their breast milk and onto their infant. New mothers should also outweigh the risks and benefits of pursuing pharmacological treatment rather than letting their depression go untreated. By conducting a thorough literature review, this thesis serves the purpose of identifying the most effective treatments to be integrated with a modified stepped care pathway, thereby creating a standardized PPD protocol that can be used across pediatric primary care practices. The aim of standardization of protocol using specific treatments in a modified stepped care approach is to effectively detect maternal PPD, minimize the potential for harm to mother and infant, as well as improve the consistency of care provided to mothers diagnosed with PPD. Implemented correctly, the protocol should show increased use of validated PPD screening tools such as the EDPS in practices managing care for postpartum mothers and/or infants up to the age of one, followed by risk assessment, and then treatment escalated from psychotherapy to antidepressants if required.

This study examined pregnancy risk and protective factors for developing postpartum depression from a structural family theory lens. The purpose of this study was to (1) examine previously identified pregnancy stressors to learn which stressors put women more at risk for postpartum depression and (2) to identify possible buffers for women who are at risk for developing postpartum depression. In this paper, two analyses were proposed. Analysis I, uses a hierarchal regression analysis to examine the impact of couple related stress on postpartum depression. Analysis II uses moderated multiple regression to test factors during pregnancy which may protect at-risk women from postpartum depression symptoms. Three post-hoc exploratory analyses were conducted following the originally proposed analyses. Secondary data was used in this study. The data was collected in four large urban hospitals in Utah from 2005-2007 and included 1568 women. The results of these analyses illustrate the importance of conceptualizing postpartum depression from a family systems perceptive. Specifically, this study shows that a couple's relationship, depending on the stress level experienced in the relationship, can be both a risk and protective factor for pregnant women. / Ph. D.