Postpartum depression and social support in puerperal women at a referral hospital in Recife: a cross-sectional study

Research aim: to correlate the development of postpartum depression (PPD) symptoms with the level and type of social support received by the woman during pregnancy. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, quantitative study, in which 101 puerperal women who received childbirth assistance between December 2021 and January 2023 were interviewed at the Women's Assistance Center of the Instituto de Medicina Integral Prof. Figueira (IMIP), Pernambuco, Brazil. Instruments were applied to assess the presence of depressive symptoms after childbirth (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale - EPDS), the level of social support received during pregnancy (Satisfaction with Social Support Scale - SSSS), sociodemographic and economic and obstetric data referring to the postpartum women interviewed. Results: the prevalence of PPD symptoms is consistent in 23.8% of postpartum women, in addition to medium and low social support during pregnancy in 37.6% of interviewees. There was a statistically significant association between the two variables (p = 0.004). Conclusion: the relationship between the development of PPD symptoms and the presence of low or medium social support received by the postpartum woman during pregnancy is evident. Furthermore, unplanned pregnancy and health problems prior to pregnancy are also correlated with the occurrence of PPD.