Postpartum Depression in Adolescents: A Pilot Study

Monday, 12 July 2010: 2:45 PM

Shirley E. Curtis, RN, BSN, MSN, RM
School of Nursing & Health Studies, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL
Doris Ugarriza, ARNP, PhD
University of Miami School of Nursing, Coral Gables, FL

Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to determine the relationship among postpartum depression, social support and socio-economic status in adolescent mothers.

Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to identify areas for future research in the area of postpartum among adolescents.

Purpose: To conduct a pilot study to investigate the relationship among postpartum depression, social support and socio-economic status in postpartum adolescents.

Methods: A correlation analysis will be conducted on a convenience sample of 60, English speaking postpartum adolescents who gave birth between 2- 12 months prior to the time of the study. Adolescents between 18 – 21 years from the South Miami area will be recruited for this study.  A self- administered questionnaire which includes the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, Logsdon’s postpartum Social Support Questionnaire, obstetrical history and socio-demographic information that includes income, educational level, ethnicity and religion.

Results: The data will be collected in January 2010 and analyzed in SPSS. We hope to find direct correlation between the level of postpartum depression and the adolescents’ obstetric history, socio-economic status and social support system.

Conclusion:  The information will be used to direct further studies and give direction to programs involving adolescent mothers.