Examination of women experiencing postpartum depression within the framework of ecological theory

Postpartum depression is a common problem that affects mothers' emotional state in the period after birth. The study aimed to understand the difficulties experienced by mothers who have experienced postpartum depression and to learn the factors that help them overcome the difficulty. Learning about the experiences of mothers is important in terms of providing resources for social workers who provide psychosocial support interventions to mothers. The study was conducted with a phenomenological approach using the qualitative research method. The study was conducted using critical situation sampling, one of the qualitative research methods and purposive sampling methods. 14 mothers were interviewed during the research process. The interviews were audio-recorded, the data were transcribed and analyzed using the content analysis method. Five main themes and subthemes were created as a result of the analysis. The main themes were: maternal psychological state, relationship with spouse, relationship with baby, relationship with mother's social environment, factors that strengthen the mother. The findings were discussed within the scope of the information in the literature.