Date Presented 04/04/2025
This scoping review highlights the potential role of OT in addressing postpartum depression (PPD). OT can promote early detection, improve maternal role functioning, and support infant development through holistic interventions, filling current care gaps.
Primary Author and Speaker: Stephanie Rexing
Contributing Authors: Korynn Englert, Madison Ferreira, Allyson Kuhl, Leah Schweizer
PURPOSE: This proposal aims to highlight the potential role of OT in addressing PPD, a critical yet often under-recognized mental health condition. PPD affects mothers and infants alike, leading to developmental delays, prolonged NICU admissions, and poor maternal-infant bonding. Currently, OT involvement in this population is limited, despite the profession’s potential to offer interventions focused on establishing routines, energy conservation, and psychosocial support.
DESIGN: A scoping review was conducted to explore the current state of research on occupational therapy opportunities for treatment for PPD.
METHODS: Relevant studies were identified through a comprehensive search of databases, using keywords such as ‘occupational therapy,’ ‘postpartum depression,’ ‘PPD screening, risk factors, and health disparities,’ ‘infant development,’ ‘maternal mental health,’ and ‘OT role in PPD’. Articles published between 2007 to present were included if they discussed occupational therapy interventions in maternal populations and risk factors for development of PPD. A thematic matrix was designed to identify recurring trends and gaps in the literature.
RESULTS: Through a scoping literature review, we identified barriers such as low screening rates and stigma that impede timely intervention for PPD. Existing screening tools like the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) are underutilized in many healthcare settings. Occupational therapy can address these gaps by promoting early detection and providing interventions targeting barriers to occupational performance, emotional wellbeing, and routine establishment for mothers.
CONCLUSION: Incorporating occupational therapy in the care of mothers with PPD can significantly impact both maternal and infant health outcomes. By fostering holistic interventions, OT practitioners can improve the recovery process, enhance maternal role functioning, and support infant development through family-centered care.
References
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