Perinatal Depression in Mexican-American Women: An Intervention Study

Perinatal depression is a werious health problem for childbearing women. The consequences of perinatal depression include: maternal suicide, infanticide, and poor physiological and behavioral outcomes in newborns. Mexican-American women are particularly vulnerable to this disorder since they often feel isolated, and experience other cultural and developmental stressors during the perinatal period. The purpose of this study is to examine: 1) the incidence of perinatal depressive symptoms in Mexican-American women and 2) to determine if a relaxation breathing technique is successful in decreasing perinatal depressive symptoms in Mexican-American Women. Sixty pregnant women from a obstetric clinic in a large urban setting were recruited and followed throughout the perinatal period. A quasi-experimental design was used, and women were randomly assigned to either a control or experimental group. Measures of depression, social support and risks associated with perinatal depression were collected at selected time points during the antepartal and postpartal periods. Repeated measure analysis are being used to determine if the relaxation breathing technique is successful in decreasing perinatal symptoms. Data is currently being analyzed. Perinatal nurses will be able to utilize results of this study to provide comprehensive and culturally competent nursing care.