Social Support and Maternal Mental Health: Investigating Social Capital and Postpartum Depression Using ADD Health

• In Event: 41021 - Student Forum Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Roundtable 5: Mental Health and Well-being

Abstract

Social capital has been well established to have beneficial effects on a variety of behavioral, developmental, and health outcomes. In particular, social capital has been proven to be a protective force against many types of mental illness. However, there is more research required to determine the influence of social capital on postpartum depression. Studies done on cultures outside of the United States have shown an association between social capital and better experiences during the postpartum period. Using the National Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, we aim to understand what the interaction is between social capital and postpartum depression, and discover if there is a negative association for Americans. We hypothesize that we will find that social capital has a protective effect on postpartum depression.

Author

• Emily Pulsipher, Brigham Young University-Provo