ABSTRACT
There
were 1,174,545 cesarean births in the United States in 2021, with 316,349 being
considered low risk/uncomplicated (meaning no multiple births, breech
presentation, prior cesarean delivery, and preterm gestation). A challenging
recovery period for those mothers impacts the fulfillment of their needs.
Mothers experiencing a cesarean birth may experience mood disturbances,
feelings of loss of control, and higher risks of pain, infection, and internal
injury, requiring extended recovery. It is assumed that challenges of the
postpartum period after cesarean delivery are linked to a mother’s
psychological health, as physical and psychological health is interrelated.
Millions of mothers self-report symptoms of PPD and are often untreated or
undiagnosed, even though research shows that the physical process includes
factors contributing to postpartum depression. However, it is unclear if there
is any significance between levels of
postpartum depression and levels of basic need satisfaction/fulfillment for
mothers who experience a cesarean delivery. Therefore, this study aimed to
examine the connection in which depression predicts levels of need
satisfaction, applying the self-determination theory. The original research
question inquires if the level of depression can be used to predict levels of
basic need satisfaction (i.e., autonomy, competence, relatedness) with mothers’ post-CS. A predictive quantitative nonexperimental study was chosen to carry
out the research. The participants included 157 American mothers, women who were 20 - 54 years of age, experienced an uncomplicated CS, and were willing to
self-report on the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS) and the Balanced Measure of Psychological Needs (BMPN)
scale, as well as report demographic information (age and race) through an
online survey. The PDSS consisted of total scores that were categorized into
two groups: High
(score ≥ 60) and Low (score ≤ 59). The BMPN consisted of six variables identified by the instrument,
including 5-point Likert scaled scores for satisfaction/dissatisfaction of
autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The findings illustrated that when the
age and race variables were viewed separately, there was no significant
predictability for each of the six outcome variables. However, when PPD was
considered (controlling for age and race), significant predictability was shown
for autonomy dissatisfaction, competence dissatisfaction, and relatedness
dissatisfaction. PPD did not significantly predict autonomy, relatedness, and
competence satisfaction. The findings imply that depression, autonomy,
competence, and relatedness needs are significant variables to consider with
mothers in the postpartum period, post-CS.