Graduation Semester and Year

2022

Language

English

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Social Work

Department

Social Work

First Advisor

Regina Praetorius

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the possible factors that contribute to postpartum depression in military women during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study had a total of 10 participants who were recruited by snowball and purposive sampling. The participants agreed to an interview with questions related to their overall experience of becoming a mother during a pandemic. The data collected showed two main themes emerged: environment and support. Of those, five subthemes appeared: policies and procedures and healthcare staff; in-person support, educational support, and mental health support, respectively. These findings point to potential shortcomings surrounding perinatal care for women. Recommendations to further support perinatal women include creating a safe birthing environment, allowing for autonomy, and providing support to the birthing person such as educational resources.

Keywords

Postpartum depression, Military, Mental health, COVID-19

Disciplines

Social and Behavioral Sciences | Social Work

License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Comments

Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington

Download

Included in

Social Work Commons

Share

COinS