Women in large cities are more likely to suffer from postpartum depression than mothers living in smaller centers – this is the result of a recent Canadian study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
The authors of the study wanted to see if there was an increased risk of postpartum depression related to where women live. Over 6 women living in four types of centers in Canada: cities with more than half a million inhabitants (over a third of Canada’s population live in such cities), smaller cities (30 to 499 inhabitants), small centers (less than 30 inhabitants) and in the countryside (less than a thousand inhabitants or a population density of less than 400 people per km2 – about 20% of Canada’s population lives outside urban centers).
An analysis of the health of mothers from such different centers showed that women from the largest urban centers are more at risk of postpartum depression than those from smaller towns. Mental bad condition was present in 10 percent. women in large cities, in smaller centers – in 6 percent Another regularity was noticed, though less obvious – mothers from the smallest towns and villages, if they had little contact with larger towns, were also more exposed to the risk of postpartum depression.
The authors suggest that special support programs targeted at women could reduce the risk of developing psychological problems after childbirth.
The reasons for this state of affairs were also searched for. The study shows that women in large cities are more likely to complain about the lack of support during pregnancy and after having a baby. As Canada is a country of immigrants, the situation of immigrant women (who usually live in large cities) was also analyzed. In their case, the problem is both distance from the family and, as it is supposed, social and cultural barriers.
The problem of postpartum depression is now widely debated in Canada in connection with the recent tragedy in Manitoba, the deaths of two children – a two-year-old girl and her three-month-old brother, and their mother. As police officers said in the media, postpartum depression is one of the threads of the investigation, and the family also indicated that the deceased sought help in connection with depression.
Representatives of organizations that help women deal with post-child depression told reporters that after the tragic death of a young mother in Manitoba, they had registered an increasing number of phone calls from women who had similar problems.
There is also much debate that social expectations are often such that mothers are almost under an obligation to be happy after having a baby. Meanwhile, most women experience a mood disorder after having a baby for about six weeks after giving birth. In some of them, bad mood and irritability turn into depression.
There is a non-profit organization in Canada that aims to raise awareness of the problem. It was founded by a mother who experienced depression twice after having a baby.
From Toronto Anna Lach (PAP)