The benefits of intergenerational family support on post-partum depression in the Tunisian Health Examination Survey

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Healthy Considerations

Postpartum depression (PPD) is considered the most common maternal morbidity in many parts of the world, yet while maternal health is increasingly prioritized in global health initiatives, the factors leading to the development of PPD are not fully understood. Lack of social support has been cited as one of the most important contributors to postpartum depression, but social support outside of partner relationships has not been widely investigated. Given trends in global aging and the increased presence of tri-generational families worldwide, it is important to examine whether the presence of co-residential grandparents influences the health and well-being of new mothers. Although this relationship has been the focus of recent interest in wealthy nations, research has yet to explore the impact of grandparent support in low- and middle-income countries. The present study uses sociodemographic and health data from the Tunisian Health Examination Survey to look at how family structures in this northern African setting affect postpartum depression. We hypothesized that postpartum depression would be lower with the presence of co-residential grandparents. It was found that new mothers living in a multigenerational household (M = 0.00) had less depression than those that did not live in a multigenerational household.