NUS Study Shows That New Mothers Are Less Likely to Develop Postnatal Depression With Peer Support

According to a recent study conducted by the National University of Singapore Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, new mothers at risk of postpartum depression require more than just support from friends and immediate family members around them. 

They can also gain substantial benefit from having a third-party outsider listen to their concerns. 

Postpartum depression is depression that new mothers sometimes face after childbirth. The study investigated how Singaporean mothers who faced the risk of postpartum depression can benefit from emotional support from other mothers, or those who have dealt with depression before.

Let’s take a look at the findings.

NUS Study Shows That New Mothers Are Less Likely to Develop Postnatal Depression With Peer Support

The study was conducted between 2018 and 2020 involving 138 mothers who had been identified as being at risk of developing postpartum depression.

They were all patients at the National University Hospital. 

They were split into two groups of 69 each. One group received peer support for one month after delivery while the other group did not receive peer support and only had standard hospital care. 

New mothers in the group receiving peer support were paired up with a volunteer, a mother who had dealt with and recovered from postpartum depression. 

The participants were matched up based on factors such as ethnicity, age and background. 

Twenty volunteers were involved in the study. They underwent a half-day training session by a psychiatrist and learned specialised skills that they could use to help mothers who were emotionally distressed. 

The new mothers preferred text messages to phone calls when interacting with their assigned volunteers because they often contacted their volunteers in the morning when they felt the most isolated. 

It was found that new mothers who received peer support via text messages had their risk of developing postpartum depression reduced by 20%. 

There was also a 9% reduced risk of postpartum anxiety among new mothers, and an 8% reduced risk of loneliness three months after childbirth. 

Many of the participants wanted a longer follow-up period with their peer volunteers going beyond the one month after delivery. 

This will be addressed by extending the follow-up period from one month to six months for the study on the mobile application. 

Researchers Developing Mobile App To Make Support More Accessible 

Researcher Shefaly Shorey, an assistant professor at the NUS Alice Lee Centre for nursing studies, is using the findings of the study to develop a mobile app designed to make peer support accessible to new mothers. 

The app is currently on trial and will be completed by the end of 2022.

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