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Listening to mothers: qualitative studies on motherhood and depression from Goa, India

Author

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  • Rodrigues, Merlyn
  • Patel, Vikram
  • Jaswal, Surinder
  • de Souza, Nandita

Abstract

There is little qualitative research on depression in motherhood from non-Western societies. The objective of the study described in this paper was to use qualitative methods to investigate the cultural validity of the construct of post-natal depression (PND) and its social and cultural contexts. The study was nested in a cohort of mothers recruited to study the risk factors and outcome of PND in Goa, India. In-depth interviews were carried out with 39 mothers (19 of whom were found to be suffering from PND as defined by a cut-off score on the Edinburgh PND scale) and their husbands purposively recruited from the cohort. An illness narrative was conducted with mothers who were categorized as suffering from PND and their husbands to elicit their explanatory models. The two groups (PND and non-PND) of mothers were comparable in terms of socio-demographic characteristics. PND mothers had lower levels of practical help and emotional support. The symptoms reported by PND mothers were similar to those recorded in studies with women in other cultures suggesting a universal clinical presentation of PND. Causal attributions for the experience of depression focused on economic difficulties and poor marital relationship. All mothers expressed the need for more practical help and support during the period after childbirth; husbands in both groups were often disengaged from baby care or supporting the mother. The study provides validity for the construct of PND in an Indian setting, but also shows that the emotional distress is interpreted from the context of social adversity, poor marital relationships and cultural attitudes towards gender rather than a biomedical psychiatric category. Contrary to the assumption that socio-cultural contexts associated with childbirth in non-Western societies protect mothers from depression, factors unique to the culture such as gender preference and the low involvement of husbands in child-care are major causes of stress to mothers.

Suggested Citation

  • Rodrigues, Merlyn & Patel, Vikram & Jaswal, Surinder & de Souza, Nandita, 2003. "Listening to mothers: qualitative studies on motherhood and depression from Goa, India," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 57(10), pages 1797-1806, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:57:y:2003:i:10:p:1797-1806
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    Cited by:

    1. Wilcox, Claire E. & Washburn, Rachel & Patel, Vikram, 2007. "Seeking help for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in developing countries: A study of parental explanatory models in Goa, India," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(8), pages 1600-1610, April.
    2. Eleri Jones & Ernestina Coast, 2013. "Social relationships and postpartum depression in South Asia: A systematic review," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 59(7), pages 690-700, November.
    3. Roberts, Tessa & Shrivastava, Ritu & Koschorke, Mirja & Patel, Vikram & Shidhaye, Rahul & Rathod, Sujit D., 2020. "“Is there a medicine for these tensions?” Barriers to treatment-seeking for depressive symptoms in rural India: A qualitative study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
    4. Bhargavi V. Davar, 2008. "From Mental Illness to Disability," Indian Journal of Gender Studies, Centre for Women's Development Studies, vol. 15(2), pages 261-290, May.
    5. Das, Jishnu & Das, Ranendra Kumar & Das, Veena, 2012. "The mental health gender-gap in urban India: Patterns and narratives," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(9), pages 1660-1672.
    6. Mayston, Rosie & Frissa, Souci & Tekola, Bethlehem & Hanlon, Charlotte & Prince, Martin & Fekadu, Abebaw, 2020. "Explanatory models of depression in sub-Saharan Africa: Synthesis of qualitative evidence," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
    7. Harish Thippeswamy & Ajit Dahale & Geetha Desai & Prabha S Chandra, 2015. "What is in a name? Causative explanatory models of postpartum psychosis among patients and caregivers in India," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 61(8), pages 818-823, December.
    8. Shefaly Shorey & Sally Wai‐Chi Chan & Yap Seng Chong & Hong‐Gu He, 2014. "Maternal parental self‐efficacy in newborn care and social support needs in Singapore: a correlational study," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 23(15-16), pages 2272-2283, August.
    9. Everingham, Christine Rosemary & Heading, Gaynor & Connor, Linda, 2006. "Couples' experiences of postnatal depression: A framing analysis of cultural identity, gender and communication," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(7), pages 1745-1756, April.
    10. R.J.S. Savarimuthu & P. Ezhilarasu & H. Charles & B. Antonisamy & S. Kurian & K.S. Jacob, 2010. "Post-Partum Depression in the Community: a Qualitative Study From Rural South India," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 56(1), pages 94-102, January.
    11. Stone, Meredith & Kokanovic, Renata, 2016. "“Halfway towards recovery”: Rehabilitating the relational self in narratives of postnatal depression," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 98-106.

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