Association Between Social Support and Postpartum Depression

Introduction: Postpartum depression is common; however, little is known about its relationship to social support and postpartum depression. This study examined the association between them among South Korean women within one year of childbirth. Methods This study was based on the 2016 Korean Study of Women’s Health-Related Issues (K-Stori), a cross-sectional survey employing nationally-representative random sampling. Participants were 1,654 postpartum women within a year of giving birth. Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were conducted to analyze the associations between social support (and other covariates) and postpartum depression. Results Among participants, 266 (16.1%) had postpartum depression. Depending on the level of social support, 6.0%, 53.9%, and 40.1% of them had low, moderate, and high social support, respectively. Women with moderate or low social support were more likely to have postpartum depression (OR = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.26–2.53; OR = 2.76, 95% CI = 1.56–4.89). This trend was observed in participants with multiparity, pregnancy loss, obese body image, and employed women. Conclusion Social support was associated with a decreased likelihood of postpartum depression, indicating the importance of social support, especially for women with multiparity, pregnancy loss experience, negative body image, and employed women for preventing postpartum depression.