Patterns of Postpartum Depression during the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2018-2021

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a serious mental health issue that can affect women who have recently given birth. For that reason, a postpartum depression screening is typically given within the first year of postpartum care. For this research, Edinburgh questionnaire scores from Kids Plus Pediatrics sites in Western Pennsylvania, collected between the years 2018 and 2021 inclusively, are used to determine if temporal pattern of PPD rates were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Time series modelling is utilized to understand overall trend and seasonal patterns of PPD. Preliminary results suggest that rates of PPD were adversely affected by the pandemic.