| Postpartum depression will affect approximately 9% to 16% of women who give birth (American Psychological Association, 2010). Among women who have already experienced postpartum depression in a previous pregnancy the rates may climb to 41% and a study with urban and low-income African American woman found that a startling 56 % of women met the criteria for postpartum depression (American Psychological Association, 2010; Chaudron et al., 2010; O'Hara & Swain, 1996). The negative effects of maternal depression for infants are wide-ranging, and can be observed in attachment patterns, interaction styles, behavior and mood, mothers' behaviors, brain development, and cognitive development.;The Educating Practices in the Community (EPIC) training programs are based on "academic detailing", a type of educational outreach intervention (Chandhok, n.d.) that is similar to techniques utilized by pharmaceutical company sales representatives (Soumerai, 1990). EPIC offers unique training modules that make on-site presentations to entire office teams (doctors, nurses, and office staff) and include clinical information as well as useful office materials to emphasize practice change. In partnership with the Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut (CHDI), this dissertation is an EPIC module for systemizing screening practices for postpartum depression during Well-Child visits. The three goals of the module are to too increase knowledge about postpartum depression and the possible effects on infant and child development, encourage the use of screening tools to identify postpartum depression, and to increase knowledge about referral sources if postpartum depression is identified. The module includes a brief presentation (30 to 45 minutes), a training manual for the presenters complete with self-report assessment tools and supplemental materials, and the framework of a packet for attendees. |
