Perceptions of postnatal depression and health care needs in a South African sample: the "mental" in maternal health care
This research included 20 interviews with mothers from a poor socio-economic area who were diagnosed with depression
Abstract
Maternal mental health care is a neglected area in low and middle income countries such as South Africa, where maternal and child health care priorities are focused on reducing maternal and infant mortality and promoting infant physical health. As there are few mental health specialists, the aim of this study was to understand the explanatory models of illness held by women with maternal depression with the view to informing the development of an appropriate counselling intervention using a task sharing approach.
20 semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with mothers from a poor socio-economic area who were diagnosed with depression at the time of attending a primary health care facility. Follow-up interviews were conducted with 10 participants in their homes.
This research is funded under the Department for International Development’s PRIME Programme which is led by the University of Cape Town
Citation
Tasneem Kathree, One M Selohilwe, Arvin Bhana, and Inge Petersen : Perceptions of postnatal depression and health care needs in a South African sample: the “mental” in maternal health care. BioMed Central (BMC) Womens Health. 2014; 14: 140 doi: 10.1186/s12905-014-0140-7