Influence Of Maternal Health & Health-Related Behaviours On Post-Partum Depression: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Postpartum depression (PPD) affects many mothers after childbirth and damages their health while creating long-term consequences for both mothers and their newborns. The review explores how maternal health conditions together with health behaviors affect postpartum depression development and its severity. The research examines maternal health elements including physical activity sleep quality and substance use while omitting regional socioeconomic and cultural differences. The Research studies that evaluated the connection between maternal health indicators and health-related behaviors to PPD were included. The data synthesis combined qualitative and quantitative methods to compute pooled effect sizes when feasible. A total of seventy studies formed the basis of the qualitative synthesis and fifty studies underwent quantitative analysis. The analysis showed that poor sleep quality combined with insufficient physical activity and substance use including smoking and alcohol intake strongly affect PPD severity levels. The risk of PPD decreased when mothers practiced excellent health habits including physical activity and better sleep habits. The study demonstrates that maternal healthcare must incorporate standard PPD screening with physical activity promotion sleep education and substance abuse treatment as part of maternal care standards. Future studies must conduct long-term research activities and develop interventions that advance the comprehension of maternal health effects on PPD prevention and maternal mental health results.