Banca de DEFESA: CARMEN LUZ FLORES HUARACHA ANTUNES

PSYCHOSOCIOCULTURAL ASPECTS OF POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION IN LATIN AMERICAN MOTHERS: A MULTIPLE CASE STUDY

Postpartum Depression; Intercultural Study; Women's Health; Latin America.

The pregnancy-postpartum cycle is marked by several significant changes that require multidisciplinary attention to women's health, in order to offer comprehensive assistance to prevent obstetric complications, as well as avoid mental suffering. Therefore, it is necessary to identify and understand the factors that affect the emotional state of pregnant and postpartum women that may increase the risk of depression and its repercussions. Thus, an intercultural study was carried out, with a multiple case design, with the aim of investigating the influence of psycho-sociocultural factors on the experience of Postpartum Depression (PPD) reported by women from Latin American countries. Six women of different nationalities, who had experienced depression after giving birth. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with each of the mothers in individual meetings, based on a questionnaire designed to address aspects related to the history of pregnancy, childbirth, and the puerperium; the vision of motherhood; the subjective and sociocultural aspects of the DPP; and experiences and perceptions of the DPP. To complement and contextualize the reports, the participants also answered questionnaires to collect sociodemographic data and obtain information on the clinical picture of PPD, as well as a script to complete sentences. Through a qualitative analysis, the information collected was integrated, highlighting the differences and similarities observed in the experiences and conceptions of the interviewees. Among the main results found, the presence of stressors stands out, such as marital difficulties, frustrated expectations and different types of violence, in addition, there were limitations and gaps in the health services of the different contexts analyzed, as well as evidence of oppressive sociocultural aspects. The women highlighted the importance of adequate professional follow-up and the need to strengthen support networks for coping with PPD and mentioned support groups and social networks as useful for sharing experiences and supporting mothers who are going through similar situations. By providing an understanding of the factors related to depression in postpartum Latin American women, the study highlighted the importance of promoting culturally competent care in the perinatal area to prevent or alleviate this type of suffering.