The Association between Maternal Depression and Lactation Status during the 24 Months after Delivery

Aim and Depression is a major postpartum mental disorder. This disorder will have adverse consequences for both generations (mother and child) and may be correlated with breastfeeding. The aim of the present study was to determine the association between postpartum depression and postpartum lactation during the 2 first years of life.
Methods and Materials: This descriptive correlational study was conducted on 366 mothers of 18-45 years of age. The subjects were selected through simple random sampling from among women who had medical records in health care centers. The data collection tools included the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the Demographic-Reproductive Characteristics Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods in SPSS software.
Findings: Among the mothers, 30.4% of non-lactating mothers had depression. However, 19.6% of exclusively breastfeeding mothers and 18.3% of mothers who used breastfeeding in combination with other methods had depression. A significant correlation was observed between the depression scores and the two variables of type and duration of lactation (P Existence of depression among the subjects in this study, and the correlation of maternal depression with lactation status clarify the importance of screening for depression during the breastfeeding period. Thus, in order to benefit from the advantages of breastfeeding and improve infants’ growth and health, the consideration of this issue by health care providers is recommended.