Effect of perceived husband’s support on postpartum depression: Mediating role of need for approval

Abstract

Objective: The present study intended to examine the direct effects of perceived husband’s support and need of approval on postpartum depression. Furthermore, it also explored the mediating role of need of approval between perceived husband’s support and postpartum depression.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from December 2017 to May 2018 that involved a purposive sample of 170 women already diagnosed by the doctor/psychiatrist as suffering from postpartum depression recruited from different hospitals of Gujrat district. Urdu translated versions of The Marital Empathy Scale, need for approval subscale of Dysfunctional Attitude Scale form A-17, and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale were used to measure the focal constructs of the study.

Results: Path analysis through Amos revealed that perceived husband’s support had negative significant direct effects on need of approval and postpartum depression. Need of approval had significant positive direct effect on postpartum depression. Finally, the significant indirect effect of perceived husband’s support through need of approval on postpartum depression was negative.

Conclusion: The mediation found in the present study suggested that perceived husband’s support reduced the need of approval, which in turn, lowered the degree of postpartum depression.