Stress, Emotions, and Pain in the Postpartum Period Interview (SEPPPI)

Academic mentor: Sandraluz Lara-Cinisomo

Community partner: Champaign -Urbana Public Health District

Project description: 
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a major post-delivery complication, affecting close to a million mothers yearly. In addition to PPD, postpartum pain occurs in as many as 77% of women. While there is growing evidence of the harmful effects of postpartum pain on maternal mood and well-being, it is unclear how PPD and postpartum pain affect women's emotional well-being, self-care, infant care, and mother-infant bonding. 

This project explores women's experiences caring for their infants while enduring postpartum pain and depressed mood. Participants will also share what community resources they believe could help women undergoing similar experiences. Thus, the findings will enable us to expand the current literature and influence the direction of future research exploring the experiences and consequences of concurrent pain and depression in the postpartum period. The results will also help inform community-based interventions, particularly in Champaign County. An increased understanding of responses to pain in women with PPD will allow for developing preventative measures and appropriate treatments to reduce pain in mothers and promote positive maternal and infant outcomes. 

We will enroll 20 English- and Spanish-speaking women to participate in individual phone interviews. To be eligible to participate, women must have self-reported current or former postpartum depression, self-reported history of postpartum pain but no pain disorders (e.g., fibromyalgia), be able to read, write, and speak English or Spanish, be 18-45 years of age with a singleton pregnancy, and willing to complete an online enrollment questionnaire and participate in one individual phone interview.

Role of the Community-Academic Scholar:
The Community-Academic Scholar will be instrumental in reaching out to the community about the project. They will also help recruit, enroll, and interview women about postpartum pain and its impact on women's well-being and infant care. The Scholar will also assist with project management, data entry and integrity, and other community engagement efforts.