Postpartum Depression, Research Paper Example

Introduction

Postpartum depression is a complex condition that is characterized by emotional and psychological responses to the birth of a child. This set of circumstances poses a high risk to some mothers in the form of depression and other concerns that impact mental health and wellbeing. The issues related to postpartum depression are often poorly understood because they contribute to a difficult state for new mothers to manage if they are unsure of how to manage motherhood and the experiences that are inevitable with this process. Therefore, a comprehensive theoretical approach must be considered that has a significant impact on outcomes for new mothers.

Postpartum depression creates a set of complex circumstances that have a lasting impact on many new mothers, thereby necessitating an evaluation that includes the concepts associated with self-care and the ability to overcome the symptoms of postpartum depression and to be effective in advancing patient care outcomes for this group. When postpartum depression is evident, there may be periods whereby self-care is difficult to achieve under normal circumstances. This contributes to a negative set of complications for some women with this condition and requires a level of attention and focus in order to ensure that self-care needs are met in the desired manner. However, this practice is difficult on many levels because it limits the ability of Orem’s theory to be applicable when patients are unable to administer self-care when postpartum depression is evident. Therefore, an evaluation of Orem’s Self-Care theory is essential to the discovery of new concepts to alleviate this state of depression and to improve the bonding experience between mother and child (Larsen, 2011). These issues must be addressed in the context of their impact on women who have recently given birth and how Orem’s theory may be applied to these circumstances in order to determine how depression impacts patient care outcomes for new mothers (Larsen, 2011). The following discussion will address Orem’s Theory of Self-Care in greater detail and will provide a basis for examining the needs of new mothers who face postpartum depression after birth.

Description of the Theory: Purpose

Orem’s Self-Care Theory supports individuals who seek to perform self-care activities as part of the daily routine to provide a positive impact for patients (Larsen, 20110. Most importantly, this theory supports patients who seek therapeutic interventions to perform self-care in the home environment over time (Larsen, 2011). This practice supports the participation of patients with postpartum depression and other issues to be effective in supporting a change effort for patients (Larsen, 2011). Most importantly, it is necessary to evaluate the circumstances under which Orem’s theory of self-care may apply during the postpartum period because many women struggle with their emotions, thereby making self-care and acceptance more difficult for patients (Larsen, 2011).

Concepts and Definitions

According to Orem’s Theory of Self-Care, self-care is a regulatory function, whereby individuals are given and assume the functions and responsibility of care for themselves, and when individuals are not willing or able to perform these functions, there are self-care deficits. Patients engage in self-care maintenance—tasks to prevent symptoms, such as adhering to sodium restrictions—and self-care management—activities to respond to symptoms—to prevent these deficits, i.e., improve or maintain their functioning” (Yehle, 2014, p. 5). Therefore, this concept must be well represented through the activities that are conducted to administer self-care for patients who struggle with postpartum depression.

Relationships and Structure

In a study by Nazik & Eryilmaz (2013), it was determined that “the care given to women in the postpartum period using Orem’s self-care model prevented postpartum complications and increased the self-care agency of postpartum women” (P. 360). This practice requires further consideration because it has a significant impact on how mothers respond to postpartum depression and whether or not they are able to administer quality self-care during this period, given the emotional and psychological difficulties that they might face during this stage (Nazik & Eryilmaz, 2013). This practice requires an individual to examine her inner strength and to obtain support from her peers and from clinicians in order to perform self-care at the desired level (Chen, 2014). These practices support and encourage the development of new directions in advancing Orem’s theory of self-care so that it is fully applicable to female patients experiencing postpartum depression. Patients with this condition require a level of support and encouragement so that they recognize their ability to overcome personal challenges and other considerations that impact their wellbeing and self-care capabilities (Chen, 2014).

Assumptions

With the utilization of Orem’s theory of self-care for patients with postpartum depression, it is believed that each mevaluated individually in order to determine her mental and psychological state after birth so that all possible ideas and concepts are explored to address the condition and to improve outcomes. This theory makes a number of assumptions, including the belief that all mothers with postpartum depression are seeking help and are able to administer self-care activities in the home environment. It is also believed that the ability of patients to overcome their own challenges related to self-care is instrumental in supporting an agenda that will positively impact this group and enable them to once again recognize the importance of carinthat bvg for themselves and in performing self-care activities at the expected level (Yehle, 2014). Self-care in patients with postpartum depression must be well understood and capture the ability to reflect upon new directions and a focus on new strategies to support motivation and strength in caring for oneself effectively in a complex environment where emotions and other considerations get in the way (Chen, 2014). It is expected women who experience postpartum depression will be challenged by their own limitations and eventually recognize that these limitations are real and wreak havoc on their ability to perform self-care and to communicate ideas effectively so that patients receive the assistance that is needed to achieve the intended results (Chen, 2014).

Self-care activities require a level of knowledge and acceptance of individual characteristics and strengths that will facilitate motivation in mothers experiencing postpartum depression. However, this process also demonstrates that women with this condition may face risks that are beyond their control and for which they have no immediate short-term solution because they do not recognize the nature of their own inner strength. It is important for women with postpartum depression to recognize the overarching nature of the condition and to be effective in recognizing that it is temporary and will not debilitate a person over the long term.

Many women with postpartum depression appear to be hopeless and helpless because the condition debilitates their natural logical sensibilities and their ability to make practical decisions that will have a positive impact on their health ; therefore, the condition must be examined under a different lens and must capture the overarching perspective that will have a lasting impact on outcomes and on relationships in supporting a new direction in facilitating change and progress within one’s own life and to overcome the emotions and feelings related to postpartum depression within this population.

Reflection on the Theory: Clarity

This theory requires nurses to examine how patients with postpartum depression might benefit their morale and overall wellbeing; therefore, this practice requires patients to on administering their self-care activities effectively. This practice will demonstrate the significance of these activities and will support and encourage nurse who face their own risks, such as postpartum depression, to improve their own health through these efforts. Women with postpartum depression become inundated with feelings and emotions for which they have no real understanding and acceptance; therefore, they may have a tendency to become lost in the moment and cannot recover from these conditions without extreme difficulty. In these instances, women must be provide with support and guidance to recognize that their needs are of critical importance and that they must tend to those needs as best as possible.

Simplicity

Self-care offers an opportunity to examine a woman’s core strengths and to be effective in meeting her own personal needs as best as possible. However, when struggles occur in this area, it becomes necessary to evaluate other possibilities and to be understanding of the different elements which capture core needs and expectations. Although women may feel as if they face postpartum depression alone, they nonetheless have many opportunities to experience support from friends and family members in order to enable them to recognize their self-worth and contributions. It is hopeful that these experiences will provide a basis for examining other areas that will have a lasting impact on conditions and that will provide a means of performing self-care activities effectively to gain a greater sense of self-worth, self-confidence, and inner strength.

Generalizability

Orem’s Theory of Self-Care is a dominant perspective regarding the nature of the human condition and the ability to recognize what each individual requires to achieve survival within a given environment. For women who have recently given birth for the first time or on multiple occasions, hormonal changes reflect a set of important challenges that require further evaluation, given the limitations that may persist with the emotional vulnerability of this stage. The practical nature of this practice supports the ability to adapt effectively to a variety of situations that require self-care so that patients with postpartum depression are able to overcome any limitations that stand in the way of these activities. This process also requires nurses to be effective promoters of the self-care concept so that patients receive optimal focus and attention to address their concerns. The administration of self-care must be generalizable to the extent that it supports the application of key principles to a variety of settings.

Accessibility

When women experience what is considered to be true clinical postpartum depression, they may have a tendency to ignore themselves and to refrain from administering self-care within their   own environments. This is a difficult set of circumstances to witness from an outsider’s perspective, but it also demonstrates a need to understand why this motivation disappears to begin with and how to overcome these emotions and experience a return to normalcy. The accessibility of this theory is necessary to ensure that patients receive the necessary attention to be able to administer self-care at the desired level. Women with postpartum depression must gain support from others so that they are able to recognize the importance of self-care as part of a larger framework in overcoming this condition. Therefore, the accessibility of self-care is critical to the wellbeing of patients with postpartum depression, particularly if they believe that they do not have a chance for a viable recovery from this condition.

Importance

It is necessary for women who are experiencing postpartum depression to recognize that they are not alone and that even if their ability to perform self-care is currently limited, this is not a permanent condition. It is expected that this will change over time and that women will begin to again experience feelings of self-worth and acceptance of their new status as mothers. This also reflects their understanding that they are not only responsible for themselves, but also for another person, and this supports a greater understanding of their inner strengths and abilities as human beings to be successful as mothers. Although postpartum depression is a highly individualistic condition, it nonetheless reflects a situation whereby making sense of the circumstances is a challenging consideration and requires a high level of support and encouragement from those surrounding the person.

A woman who gives birth to a child often experiences a myriad of feelings and emotions that are often overwhelming and that create difficult challenges in balancing the needs of the child and in providing care for oneself. When this balance is distorted, it often becomes difficult for a woman to recognize her own inner strength when her emotions get in the way. Therefore, self-care may fall by the wayside and may be ignored. When this situation occurs, it is necessary to develop a strategy that will have a lasting impact on a person so that she is able to gain the support that she needs to be successful not only as a mother, but as a human being who is capable of self-care and treatment at the desired level.

These issues also require a high level understanding and acceptance of the issues that impact women who have recently had children and who are struggling to overcome the changes that have occurred with this process. It is believed that when self-care is ignored or neglected for a period of time, a woman is unable to exercise sound and reasonable judgment in many ways, thereby creating disconnect between her own needs and the needs of her child. Women who experience these changes must be provided with support and guidance in an effort to overcome adversity and to be effective as human beings. Therefore, self-care must remain a key priority for women in this state, even if they do not recognize this to be the case.

Conclusion

The evolution of postpartum depression is a challenging condition because it often leads a woman to evaluate her own self-worth and to understand why she is not currently motivated to perform self-care activities at the necessary level. These issues require a greater understanding of the nature of the condition and its impact on female health during this stage. Furthermore, it requires women to be patient and to begin to recognize their own self-worth, even during periods of darkness when it appears that all hope is lost and patients are unable to effectively cope with the condition and its impact on daily activities, wellbeing, and general quality of life for this patient population.

These experiences support the understanding and purpose of Orem’s Theory of Self-Care in order to enable women to take back their lives and to overcome postpartum depression with the guidance and encouragement of a strong support system to ensure that they will experience success and achievement in this area. It is expected that self-care activities will resume at the necessary in women experiencing postpartum depression, and that these experiences may serve as a learning curve in order to determine how to overcome adversity, to recognize inner strength, and to be proactive in meeting personal needs through self-care activities at the desired level.

References

Chen, A. M., Yehle, K. S., Albert, N. M., Ferraro, K. F., Mason, H. L., Murawski, M. M., & Plake, K. S. (2014). Relationships between health literacy and heart failure knowledge, self-efficacy, and self-care adherence. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 10(2), 378-386.

Larsen, A. (2011). A supportive education program for perinatal depression utilizing Orem’s Theory of Self-Care. 139st APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition.

Nazik, E., & Eryilmaz, G. (2013). The Prevention And Reduction Of Postpartum Complications Orem’s Model. Nursing science quarterly, 26(4), 360-364.