P01-318 - Prevalence and Treatment of the Postpartum Depression: the Impact of Cultural Factors

Abstract

Postnatal depression affects about 10% -20% of women after childbirth (Miller 2002).The duration of the postnatal depression could be six months or more in 25% -50% of cases (Beck 2002). The prevalence was mainly established from studies in western developed countries. In the studies carried out in Asian countries it has been found a much wider range of prevalence, from 1% to about 20% (Leung, 2002). Some researchers have found that the low prevalence of postnatal depression in some countries may be due to some protection factors from the local culture (Fitch 2002, Harkness 1987, Miller 2002). The research on the impact of cultural factors on the onset of postnatal depression therefore presents a wide range of conclusions. We want explore the link between culture, risk factors and postnatal depression: this issue appears to be one of the future goals of research in the field, given the important role that culture can play in people's lives (Cox 1999; Kirmayer 1989, Lazarus & Folkman 1984; Raphael -Leff 1991). The results of some studies carried out in several countries around the world have shown that the prevalence of postnatal depression is relatively similar across different cultures and different types of ethnic communities (Cox 1999; Danach et al. 2002; Ghubash & Abu-Saleh, 1997). On the other hand, some studies have shown that in the cultures with a strong social support for new mothers, the prevalence of postnatal depression is lower (Fitch 2002; Miller 2002).