The purposes of this study were to examine (a) the prevalence of postpartum depression in Taiwanese mothers and (b) effects of stress, social support and self-esteem on prediction of postpartum depression. A descriptive correlational method of investigation was implemented. A total of 129 Taiwanese women at 6 weeks postpartum were recruited to participate in this study from Kaohsiung City area. Five instruments were used to collect data: the Demographic Data Form, the Perceived Stress Scale, the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List, Coopersmith's Self-Esteem Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Using the BDI cutoff score of 10 and above as an indication of depression, 59.7% of subjects were identified as nondepressed; 40.3% were mildly to severely depressed during the 6th week postpartum. Results of the stepwise multiple regression indicated that the best subset to predict the criterion variable of postpartum depression included self-esteem, social support, perceived stress and type of pregnancy (plannde vs. unplanned).
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Chen et al. (1994) studied this question.