Having our say: African-American and Latina mothers provide recommendations to health and mental health providers working with new mothers living with postpartum depression

Abstract

Although the research on postpartum depression has grown substantially within the past 20 years, very little research has focused on mothers of color. This article draws on first-person accounts of 30 (19 African-American and 11 Latina) mothers who experienced postpartum depression and links their experiences to existing research to guide health and mental health care providers to render culturally relevant services. The mothers were interviewed regarding their perspectives on postpartum depression, the informal and formal services they used, and their recommendations for service providers. Informal social networks offering emotional and instrumental support partially relieved the mothers of childcare burdens, but were absent or even detrimental for other mothers. Formal services offering responsive and accommodating services were identified as helpful. In contrast, rigid formal mental health treatment and antidepressant medications were identified as unhelpful.