Research Paper

African American Women and Postpartum Depression

Author Notes

This paper was prepared for HPRF100W [10], taught by Professor Julieanne Jones.

Introduction

The experience of pregnancy and greeting a new child into one’s life is a thrilling and joyful occasion for many women. On the other hand, approximately 20% of the women who give birth, have a period of fear, seclusion and unexplained sorrow, shame and guilt. According to recent studies, one out of every three mothers who give birth suffer from what is popularly referred to as postpartum depression (PPD) (Thio et al., 2006). Postpartum depression refers to the moderate or severe depression in a woman after she has given birth. Usually, it happens in the first three to six months following delivery with symptoms lasting up to one year following childbirth. Some of the symptoms of PPD are expressing more negative emotions, experiencing changes in appetite, having fears or thoughts of injuring one’s child, and distancing oneself from their infants. Furthermore, women may experience thoughts of death and/or suicide, anxiety, depressed mood, and sleep issues. In our society, depression itself is a common issue and is estimated to be one of the top three leading causes of death in the world by the year 2030. The frequency rate of major depressive disorder in African Americans was estimated to be about 7% by the year 2011, and about 11% over all. Previous studies had established frequency rates to be as high as 31% among low-income women of color (Molina, K.M. & Kiely, M, 2011). The goals of this study are investing the main causes of PPD in African American single mothers, and how PPD among African American women can be prevented.

Health disparity or Diversity/equity

My specified major is Nutritional Science, Food Management. Therefore, an area of health disparity or diversity/equity that I intend to explore this semester is how to manage stress and depression using food and nutrition. This is because stress and depression are prevalent and are affecting many people across the world, particularly African American women who have recently gave birth.

Research Question

My research question is: what are the main causes of postpartum depression in African American single mothers, and how can it be prevented? My interest to this question is that people suffering from PPD experience lack of appetite and therefore, do not eat. This failure to eat is a major concern to me as breastfeeding mothers are supposed to eat frequently as well as balanced diet. However, failure to eat does not only affect the mother, but also the child as they may start to suffer from loss of weight and malnutrition diseases that can lead to death.

Larger Significance of the Topic

The large significance of my topic is to encourage all people to eat a balanced diet and at least three meals a day regardless of whether they are sick, depressed, or undergoing any difficulties. Eating well will help them to have the best nutritional value even when they are not feeling well. The main people who will benefit from my research are all people who are suffering from depression. This is because many of them lose appetite and rarely eat, a fact that affects their nutritional body contents, hence making room for diseases.

Warren (1995) asserts an even more stunning fact, that depression among African American women is more prevalent than one might think. African American women are three times susceptible than other ethnicities, which puts them at a higher risk of depression. They are minority in a majority dominated community, which commonly devalues their ethnicity, gender and culture. Official statistics on depression among African American women are either vague or not in existence due to scarce research. Numerous women are not willing to take part in research studies since they are afraid that the information will be misconstrued and will be used against them (Warren, 1995). The few types of research that have been carried out indicate African American women report having more depressive symptoms compared to African American men, and twice the rate of European Caucasian women. PPD is a serious sickness that not only affects women who have just given birth, but also affect mothers who have had a miscarriage or a child that is still at birth (Warren, 1995).

Career Goals

My new knowledge in this area will add to my professional goals by giving me new skills on how to help depressed people to overcome stress and stay healthy. This knowledge will be also a basis on which we can use food and nutrition to help people to avoid stress and depression. Since proper nutritional balance and good eating habits can help to reduce stress, this knowledge will be significant in addressing the problem of PPD among African American women.

Conclusion

In conclusion, PPD is a major problem that affects many women across the world, but it is prevalent among African American women. We should start to address this problem as it now accounts for many death cases in the world today. We should encourage women to eat a balanced diet that will provide them with proper nutrition. We should also look for other means through which we can reduce or eliminate PPD.

References

Molina, K. M., & Kiely, M. (2011). Understanding Depressive Symptoms among High-Risk Pregnant African American Women. Women’s Health Issues : Official Publication of the Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health, 21(4), 293–303.

Thio, I. M., Browne, M. A., Coverdale, J. H., & Argyle, N. (2006). Postnatal depressive symptoms go largely untreated. Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology, 41(10), 814-818.

Warren, B. J. (1995). The experience of depression in African American women. Annual Review of Women’s Health, 2, 267-283.

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