Relative to those who received such support at birth. No other measures of social support at birth were significantly associated with risk of PND at 12 weeks. When all at-birth social support measures were considered together as predictor of PND at 12 weeks, formal social support and emotional social support were selected into the regression equation. Mothers who did not receive formal social support at birth were at an increased risk of PND. There was an elevated risk of PND at 12 weeks in mothers with low. Emotional support, compared with those with high emotional social support at birth.
In summary of the relationships between social support and PND, at-birth formal structural support and emotional functional support were independently predictive of PND at 12 weeks. At 6 and 12 weeks, the only social support dimension independently associated with PND was total functional social support.
DISCUSSION
The prevalence rate of PND in this study at 6 weeks was 13.2%, with is comparable with previous research in Ireland, where prevalence rates of PND varied from 11.4% to 28.6%. The variance could be attributed to the high representation of mothers with a previous history of depression in one study and mothers with single status in another. Nevertheless, the most recently published study compares well with similar rates at 14.4% at 6 weeks. Previous international researches have similar rates at 6 weeks to 10.4% at 9 weeks 23.3% at 14 weeks and 29.9% between 6 and 24 weeks. The variability could be due to difference in sample methodologies/demographics, data collection points, and method of measuring depressive symptoms.
The prevalence rates in this study dropped from 13.2% at 6 weeks to 9.8% at 12 weeks, similar to findings from previous research with rates of 10.6% and 10.2% at 12 weeks. Matthey, Barnett, Judy, and Waters (2000) reported an even lower prevalence rate of 6.4% at 4 months. Findings from the most recent meta-analysis of 59 studies report a prevalence rate of 13% with cases commencing in the firth 3 month postpartum, which is similar to the research finding of this study. The most important strength of this study with regard to identifying the prevalence of PND is that a large sample of firth-time mothers participation.