associations between social support and postpartum depression in puerperal mothers

This study assesses the relationship between social support and maternal depression in puerperal mothers in the first month postpartum. Participants were 77 puerperal mothers divided into two groups. The clinical group comprised 39 mothers with considerable levels of depressive symptomatology according to the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The non-clinical group comprised mothers with a minimum level according to the BDI. Mothers also completed the Medical Outcomes Study social support scale. Significant differences were found between the two groups on all factors of the MOS social support scale, with the clinical group scoring lower than the non-clinical group on all of them, showing consistency with other literature findings.