Patient education to reduce postpartum depressive symptons amoung minority women

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Postpartum depression is a major health problem that disproportionately affects low-income minority women. Black and Hispanic mothers are up to twice as likely to suffer from postpartum depressive symptoms as White mothers. If left untreated, up to 50% of these mothers remain depressed at one year following delivery. Postpartum depression negatively affects women's quality of life and ability to function. Further, it is strongly linked to adverse impacts upon maternal infant interaction and the cognitive, social, and emotional development of infants. Recent studies have begun to examine the contextual setting of the early postpartum period and identify potentially modifiable determinants of postpartum depressive symptoms. Studies suggest that situational factors such as distress from physical symptoms (e.g. bleeding and pain), infant colic, and lack of social support are triggers for postpartum depressive symptoms. While research on preparation for symptoms and experiences is sparse in health services research, studies do suggest that preparation improves the experiences of women after delivery. Preparation and education about specific situational triggers of postpartum depressive symptoms may lead to a decrease in the reporting of depressive symptoms. We propose to conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate a patient education intervention among Black and Hispanic postpartum mothers to reduce the frequency of depressive symptoms by preparing and educating women about postpartum symptoms and experiences, bolstering patients' social and personal resources, and enhancing self-management skills to buffer postpartum demands. Our specific aims are: 1. To evaluate the effectiveness in a RCT of a patient education intervention to reduce depressive symptoms among Black and Hispanic postpartum women. 2. To evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention on improving the secondary outcomes of breastfeeding continuation rates, physical function, and self-assessed health.