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. 1999 Dec:175:554-8.
doi: 10.1192/bjp.175.6.554.

Post-partum depression and the mother-infant relationship in a South African peri-urban settlement

P J Cooper  1 , M Tomlinson, L Swartz, M Woolgar, L Murray, C Molteno
Affiliations

Post-partum depression and the mother-infant relationship in a South African peri-urban settlement

P J Cooper et al. Br J Psychiatry. 1999 Dec.

Abstract

Background: Post-partum depression in the developing world has received little research attention, and its association with disturbances in the mother-infant relationship is unknown.

Aims: To determine the prevalence of post-partum depression and associated disturbances in the mother-infant relationship in Khayelitsha, a South African peri-urban settlement.

Method: The mental state of 147 women who had delivered two months previously was assessed, and the quality of their engagement with their infants was determined.

Results: The point prevalence of DSM-IV major depression was found to be 34.7%. Maternal depression was associated with poor emotional and practical support from the partner. It was also associated with insensitive engagement with the infants.

Conclusions: The rate of post-partum depression in Khayelitsha was around three times that found in British post-partum samples, and these depressions were strongly associated with disturbances in the mother-infant relationship.

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