effect of husb and s' social support on their wives' postpartum depression

Postpartum depression is a serious disorder not only for the mother but also for her husb and and children. The husb and s' support, as the most important person in their spouses' life, is very significant and can cause impression in their mood. This research has been done to study the effect of husb and s' support on their wives postpartum depression., This study was an experimental research. The population included all pregnant women referring to Isfahan clinics during their seventh month of pregnancy in 2003. By r and om sampling, 60 pregnant women were selected, 30 were selected as experimental group and 30 as control group. Beck depression inventory was used as pretest and post test. The independent variable was husb and s' social support. A booklet and a cassette about stresses and changes during pregnancy and various supports of husb and s' were given to the experimental group. A follow up was delivered to be sure that husb and s' social support had been given. Three months after the social support delivery, all subjects took part in the posttest. Results were analyzed by SPSS, descriptive statistics and covariance analysis. Findings showed the significant effect of husb and s' support on the rate of postpartum depression. Also comparison of average values of experimental group before and after instruction showed significant effect of husb and s' support on decreasing postpartum depression. The results did not show any association between demographic characteristics and postpartum depression. Based on the findings of this study, husb and s' support is the most accessible and easy way to decrease their wives' depression, we can use it as a prevention for postpartum depression