A Trauma-Informed Primary Health Care Intervention to Prevent Postpartum Depression After Disaster

Postpartum depression is a common mental health problem that can affect women after childbirth and may have long-lasting consequences for both mothers and infants. The risk of postpartum depression is substantially higher in disaster-affected regions due to exposure to trauma, loss, displacement, disruption of health services, and ongoing psychosocial stressors. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a trauma-informed postpartum depression prevention program for women living in earthquake-affected regions of Türkiye using a sequential mixed-methods design. In the first phase, the program was developed based on qualitative findings obtained through in-depth interviews with postpartum women. In the second phase, the effectiveness of the newly developed program was tested using an experimental design. During the qualitative phase, in-depth interviews were conducted with 24 postpartum women, and data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to explore women's lived experiences, perceived needs, and priorities related to mental health and psychosocial support after childbirth in a disaster context. The findings from this phase informed the content, structure, and delivery of the trauma-informed prevention program. In the quantitative phase, the program was evaluated through a randomized controlled trial. Eligible postpartum women were randomly assigned either to the trauma-informed prevention program or to a comparison group receiving usual primary health care services. Postpartum depressive symptoms were assessed using validated measures. The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the trauma-informed program in reducing postpartum depressive symptoms. The findings are expected to contribute to evidence-based, trauma-informed approaches for preventing postpartum depression in disaster-affected settings.