Care from health visitors trained in psychological intervention methods may prevent depression in mothers not depressed 6 weeks postnatally.

摘要

Approximately 13% of mothers experience postnatal depression (PND).1 It occurs at a crucial time in a mother's life, can persist for long periods and can have adverse effects on her partner and on the emotional and cognitive development of infants and children. Reported prevalence rates of PND vary within and across countries and range from 4.4% at 12-month postdelivery to 73.7%. This substantial variation may be attributed to measurements used, sampling methodologies, sociodemographic factors, parity, timescale of the study and cultural diversity.