The Prevalence and Risk Factors of Postpartum Depression Among Chinese Immigrant Women in Australia

Sunday, 22 July 2018

Jiarui Chen, PhD candidate1
Wendy Cross, PhD, MEd, BAppsSc (AdvNsg), RN, FACN, FACMHN2
Virginia Plummer, PhD, RN, RM, GCHPE, CertCritCare, BN, GradDipHlthAdmin, MSc (Hlt3
Louisa Lam, PhDMed, MPH, BHSc, GradDip (Coronary Care)4
Mei Sun, PhD1
(1)Xiangya Nursing School, Centre South University, CHANGSHA, China
(2)Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
(3)Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Frankston, Australia
(4)School of Nursing and Midwifery, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD), as one of the most common mood disorders during the perinatal period, has a worldwide prevalence of 10-15%. It not only affects functional ability in many domains of a woman’s own life but also causes many negative impacts on the welfare of children as well as the marital relationship. Recently, a systematic review and meta-analysis showed that immigrant women are twice as likely to suffer postpartum depression as non-immigrant women. It is reported that 28.5% of Australian residents were born overseas, and among the overseas-born residents, China accounted for third place with a rate of 2.2%. However, there are few studies about perinatal mental health among Chinese immigrant women in Australia. Therefore, conducting such a study will help us understand the psychological status of Chinese immigrant women during the perinatal period and provide evidence for improving public health services

Object: To examine the prevalence and incidence of postpartum depression and assess the relationship among demographic factors, social support, sleep quality, personality, acculturation and postpartum depression among Chinese immigrant women in Australia.

Method: A cross-sectional survey will be used in this study. Given the vast majority of PPD occurs within 12 weeks of birth, we intend to collect data 3 times: in the third trimester of pregnancy, 6 weeks postpartum and 12 weeks postpartum. Inclusion criteria (1) defined as an immigrant woman; (2) Gestation more than 32 weeks; (3) aged ≥ 18 years; (4) willing to participate in this study voluntarily. Exclusion criteria: (1) stillbirth; (2) suffering from severe mental illness; (3) receiving psychotherapy or participating in any psychological intervention. The instruments in this study include demographic questionnaire-including sociodemographic variables (age, gender, educational level, Occupation, income, living condition, insurance et al), clinical variables (pregnancy status, pregnancy history, pregnancy preparation et al), Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)- cut-off score of 9/10 was used to identify the risk of the PPD, Social support scale (SSS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Eysenck Personality Questionnaire- Neuroticism, (EPQN) and Riverside Acculturation Stress Inventory (RASI).

Discussion:There is an urgent need to understand the incidence of postpartum depression among Chinese immigrant women and possible risk factors. This study will help our understanding of the perinatal mental health of Chinese immigrant women and assist the improvement of the public health service system. We anticipate this study will be expanded to include other immigrant women across Australia.

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