Postpartum Depression in the Portuguese Population: The Role of Knowledge, Attitudes and Help-Seeking Propensity in Inte
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Postpartum Depression in the Portuguese Population: The Role of Knowledge, Attitudes and Help‑Seeking Propensity in Intention to Recommend Professional Help‑Seeking Mariana Branquinho1 · Maria Cristina Canavarro1 · Ana Fonseca1 Received: 22 January 2019 / Accepted: 13 February 2020 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Professional help-seeking for postpartum depression is very uncommon, despite its adverse effects. However, women’s support network can have an important role in the professional help-seeking behaviour. This study aimed to characterize the intentions to recommend professional help-seeking for postpartum depression in the Portuguese population, as well as to analyse its determinants. A cross-sectional internet survey including 621 people of general population was conducted. Participants reported a high intention to recommend professional help-seeking for postpartum depression. Greater knowledge about postpartum depression, lower stigma and high perceived utility of mental health help-seeking were associated with high intention to recommend professional help-seeking for PPD, both directly and indirectly, through less negative attitudes towards postpartum depression and higher help-seeking propensity. Education campaigns are needed to increase knowledge and to promote positive attitudes towards postpartum depression in the general population. Moreover, the results highlight the importance of implementing strategies aimed at reducing the stigma associated to help-seeking, of increasing the perception of utility of mental health services and of including the women’s support network in perinatal care to facilitate their help-seeking process. Keywords Knowledge · Attitudes · Stigma · Professional help-seeking · Postpartum depression
Introduction Help-seeking behaviour is defined as a communication process by which individuals aim to obtain information, advice, support and assistance when facing a problem or source of distress (Rickwood et al. 2005; White et al. 2018). This communication process has a social nature that involves a transition from a personal domain (awareness of difficulties) to an interpersonal domain (sharing with others) through social relationships (Rickwood et al. 2005). In the mental health context, the help-seeking process is described as an active, dynamic, adaptive and intentional coping strategy (Heerde and Hemphill 2018; Rickwood and Thomas 2012) * Ana Fonseca [email protected]; [email protected] 1
Research Group “Relationships, Development & Health”, Centre for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive‑Behavioural Intervention, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3000‑115 Coimbra, Portugal
that includes three main phases: problem recognition and definition, the decision to act to seek help and the selection of a help source (Cauce et al. 2002; Cornally and McCarthy 2011; Heerde and Hemphill 2018). Help-seeking behaviour starts with problem recognition, which includes the
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