Identifying Risk Factors of Postpartum Depressive Symptoms: The Effect of Self-Efficacy and Social Support Among Mothers

Abstract

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is an important maternal mental health concern. Knowledge, self-efficacy, and social support may be associated with the recognition and severity of depressive symptoms. This study assessed PPD knowledge among pregnant women/mothers and adults from the broader population in Saudi Arabia and examined the associations of self-efficacy and perceived social support with depressive-symptom scores in the maternal group. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in Saudi Arabia from January to March 2021. Convenience and chain-referral sampling were implemented through WhatsApp. The analytical sample included 432 pregnant women/mothers aged ≥18 years and 275 broader-population participants. Arabic-language questionnaires assessed sociodemographic characteristics and PPD knowledge; the maternal-group questionnaire also assessed depressive symptoms, self-efficacy, and perceived social support. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, linear regression, and one-way ANOVA were used. Results: Good PPD knowledge was observed in 73.8% of the maternal group and 77.5% of the broader-population group. Self-efficacy (r = −0.246, p < 0.001) and perceived social support (r = −0.197, p < 0.001) were negatively correlated with depressive-symptom scores. Both variables were statistically significant in the regression model; self-efficacy had the larger absolute standardized coefficient (β = −0.246) compared with perceived social support (β = −0.197). Depressive-symptom scores also differed across categories of age, family income, education, and previous PPD history. Conclusions: The study demonstrated a relatively good level of knowledge about postpartum depression among the surveyed participants. Higher perceived social support and self-efficacy were associated with better maternal mental health outcomes, highlighting their important role in the context of postpartum depression. These findings underscore the relevance of knowledge, social support, and self-efficacy in understanding postpartum mental health among the study population.