The Social Needs of Mothers With Postpartum Depression

In what appears to be the first study of its kind, researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital have shown a significant link between postpartum depression symptoms in new mothers and social needs that are reported by those mothers.

Social needs – like food insecurity, housing instability, difficulty paying utilities, or lack of transportation to medical appointments – and postpartum depression are screened for in the Nationwide Children’s pediatric primary care network. Data from those screenings made the study, published in Academic Pediatrics, possible. 

“I think this study shows the importance of addressing social needs first and foremost to make a difference for families affected by postpartum depression,” says Laura Chavez, PhD, a principal investigator at the Center for Health Equity and Outcomes Research at Nationwide Children’s and the study’s lead author.

“If we are not addressing social needs—an underlying risk factor for postpartum depression — these mothers may face additional challenges overcoming depressive symptoms or connecting to mental health care.”