THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A NURSE-LED SOCIAL SUPPORT PROGRAM TO PREVENT POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION AMONG ADOLESCENT MOTHERS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Abstract

Postpartum depression (PPD) among adolescent mothers is a major public health problem worldwide which can affect both adolescent mothers and their infants. A randomized controlled trial was conducted to examine the effectiveness of the Nurse−Led Social Support Program (NLSS program) on PPD in adolescent mothers. The NLSS program was developed based on social support theory and literature review. Forty-two adolescent mothers who met the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned into either experimental group (n = 21) or control group (n = 21). Participants in the experimental group received the NLSS program plus usual care, whereas the control group received only usual care. PPD was measured by the Thai version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). The EPDS score ≥13 was considered to have PPD. The PPD was measured at pretest, posttest (4 weeks), and followed-up (6 weeks and 12 weeks) of postpartum. Descriptive statistics and Repeated Measures ANOVA were used to analyze data.

The findings found that only 20 participants remained in each group at the last follow-up. The results revealed that mean scores of EPDS in the experimental group were statistically significant lower at 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks after participating in the NLSS program (p <.05, p <.01, and p <.01, respectively). Furthermore, mean scores of EPDS in the experimental group were statistically significant lower than those in the control group at 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks (p < 0.01, p < 0.01, and p < 0.01, respectively). Moreover, the rates of adolescent mothers who experienced PPD symptoms in the experimental group were lower than those in the control group at 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks. These findings indicated that the NLSS program was effective to prevent PPD in adolescent mothers. Therefore, midwiferies or nurses should implement the NLSS program to adolescent mothers to prevent postpartum depression.

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