Influence Of Biological And Environmental Factors On Postpartum Depression Expert Answer
Introduction:
Postpartum depression is one of the mental illness that occurs among mothers and pregnant women. Due to Postpartum depression the relationship between a mother, child and her partner is negatively impacted. Postpartum depression is a mental illness that includes mood swings, self-centeredness and scared of disenchantment, this illness starts either during pregnancy or after fourth week of child birth (Pawils, Metzner, Wendt, Raus, Shedden-Mora, Wlodarczyk & Harter, 2016). Postpartum depression can severely impact the health of women and mother going through it if it is not treated properly. It has been reported that if women aren’t guided appropriately then they can harm themselves as well as their children. Every country in the world have women that are going through this mental illness. It is believed that there is some impact of environmental and biological factors on Postpartum Depression however, the foundations about the impact is not known (El-Ibiary, Hamilton, Abel, Erdman, Robertson & Finley, 2013). This essay argues the relationship between environmental and biological factors that influence Postpartum depression. In other words, this essay will discuss what are the genetic and ecological elements that can trigger or deepen the mental disorder.
Postpartum Depression is common among pregnant women and new mothers. Moreover, this disorder is said to be influenced by biological factors as well as environmental factors. The influence of both these factors will be shown separately.
Biological Factors:
Postpartum Depression is sometimes ascribed to the high decrease in generative hormones that quickly follows child birth. Despite of the focus of two chemicals that are estrogen and progestin that is generally controlled during the beginning of the depressive phase. Many other biological influences include lack of monoamines and similar chemicals. Biological elements are said to be concerned with the aetiology mood swings during pregnancy as advised by many researches related to ancestral and adoption (El-Ibiary et al., 2013). Various biological alternatives have been detected involving a ‘monoaminergic’ working (serotonin transportation), ‘neurogenesis’ (neurotrophic elements that is intellectual driven) and stressors (‘glucocorticoid receptor sensitivity’). Researches have claimed that these elements can have an impact on the mothers and pregnant women causing depressive disorder (El-Ibiary et al, 2013, p. 15).
After delivery estrogen and progesterone reduces gradually recurring to prior pregnancy levels in three days. As there is a decline in estrogen after delivery that was increased through pregnancy is no hindered and lactation is started. Breastfeeding by the child increases emission of oxytocin, the general recurrent discrepancy of androgens is not present throughout lactation and even pregnancy. Throughout labour a chemical, levels of plasma corticosteroids shoot up and gradually reduces in four hours of postpartum (Stewart, Robertson, Dennis, Grace & Wallington, 2003). Thyroid system is the same as it was before pregnancy at least after four weeks of child birth. Researches have not provided with a significant association between multiple neurotransmitter constructs, levels of tryptophan or cortisol levels and indicators of Postpartum depression. Nevertheless, there is a significant small relationship between thyroid function and postpartum depression in those women or mothers who have thyroid dysfunction (Stewart et al., 2003).
There has been a connection between postpartum depression and thyroid dysfunction through thyroid antibodies that are present in a women or mother positive for thyroid dysfunction. Nevertheless, treatment for thyroid dysfunction for women or mothers having positive antibodies throughout pregnancy are not able to decrease depressive levels. During the 1st week of Postpartum depression, the women or mothers experience high levels of mood swings. The gestational levels are between low and normal order including T4 and T3 that are also connected to the mood swings in later phase of the depressive disorder of women and mothers. Nevertheless, in some cases T4 levels is said to be not connected with Postpartum depression (Skalkidou, Hellgren, Comasco, Sylyen & Poromaa, 2012).
Environmental Factors:
Multiple researches of communication between genetic and ecological on depressive phase have emphasized on the occurrence of serious negative influence for instance, financial crises or domestic abuse. Instead they should have been focused on positive and negative influences or steady ecological circumstance for instance, stable earnings and education. Constant negative situations can impact the environment making it more traumatic. Sometimes it is so stressful that a person’s assets are endangered past h/her capabilities to protect against huge losses (Mitchell, Notterman, Brooks-Gunn, Hobcraft, Garfinkel, Jaeger, Kotenko & McLanahan, 2011). Social economic status is an ecological variable that is calculated by education. This variable is potentially steady that involves negative and positive ecological situations and is connected with stress for life. Females and mothers that have lower social economic situations due to which it is much harder for them to cope up, the stress level is really high and they don’t have any social back. These females are more susceptible to postpartum depressive in comparison to those having higher levels of social economic status (Mitchell et al., 2011).
It has been observed from previous studies that location has a potential influence on pregnant women and new mothers. Miura, Tani, Fujiwara, Kwachi, Hanazato & Kim (2020) in their paper portrayed the depressive disorder among Japanese women, they claimed that location such as superstores, grocery stores, garden, parks and community centers were frequently visited by new mothers. These locations provide the mothers to have a small social circle after child birth. Moreover, these locations are critical for the new mothers to be socially interacted and can give them the appropriate support. The study concluded that Japanese women who have an interactive neighborhood with parks, stores, less traffic and infrastructure like these are less depressive than those who have none of these perks around them.
Another environmental factor that can trigger postpartum depression among women and new mothers can be accidental pregnancies that is considered to be the highest risk factor in causing postpartum depression (El-Ibiary et al., 2013). There are multiple other environmental risk elements that can develop postpartum depression among females that are abuse, not sufficient family earnings or generational mental disorder (Zinga, Phillips & Born, 2005). There are other stressors that are connected to Postpartum depression like financial crises, no jobs and the new mother or the pregnant female is abandoned by her partner. These factors also impose high risk in developing Postpartum depression (Njoku, 2013).
The relationship between a child and a mother can be impacted by other ecological factors that involves society, tradition and family. There are other variety of Postpartum Depression that is connected towards the growth of the depressive disorder. When there are high levels of Postpartum depression among the new mothers it is highly predicted that the development of the infant is negatively impacted. For instance, it can impact the emotional, behavioural, cognitive and interpersonal development. It is important for the medical professionals to provide the mothers with treatment in the beginning stage of this depressive disorder because if it is heightened than the mother can harm herself as well as the baby (Thompson & Fox, 2010).
Conclusion:
In conclusion, Postpartum depression is increasing around the world and it is impacting the lives of many mothers and pregnant women. There are many reasons as to why these females develop this depressive disorder after childbirth or during their pregnancy. This paper argued that there is an influence of Biological as well as Environmental factors on the women that causes them to go into a depressive phase. Literature have provided with multiple evidences that Biological factors is seen to influence the pregnant women and new mothers. The increase and decrease in different levels of enzymes along with the mood swings that trigger the depressive disorder in females. There are many genetic factors that deepens the disorder, the different levels of mood swings are a big influence on women. Moreover, environmental factors can also impact the women to develop Postpartum depression like unemployment, huge financial crises, no social support from the family or the society, low income, domestic violence and accidental pregnancies. That is why everyone have heard why are women so annoyed or irritated during and after few weeks of child birth because of fluctuations in hormones and the impact of external factors on them.
References:
Miura, R., Tani, Y., Fujiwara, T., Kawachi, I., Hanazato, M., & Kim, Y. (2020). Multilevel analysis of the impact of neighborhood environment on postpartum depressive symptoms. Journal of Affective Disorders, 263, 593-597, doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2019.11.033
Njoku, M. G. C. (2013). Causes and consequences of postpartum depression among women. The International Journal of Social Sciences, 15(1), 64-69.
Skalkidou, A., Hellgren, C., Comasco, E., Sylvén, S., & Poromaa, I. S. (2012). Biological aspects of postpartum depression. Women’s health, 8(6), 659-672, doi: 10.2217/WHE.12.55
Stewart, D. E., Robertson, E., Dennis, C. L., Grace, S. L., & Wallington, T. (2003). Postpartum depression: Literature review of risk factors and interventions. Toronto: University Health Network Women’s Health Program for Toronto Public Health, 2-286.
Thompson, K. S., & Fox, J. E. (2010). Post‐partum depression: A comprehensive approach to evaluation and treatment. Mental health in family medicine, 7(4), 249.
Zinga, D., Phillips, S. D., & Born, L. (2005). Postpartum depression: we know the risks, can it be prevented?. Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry, 27, s56-s64.
