Postpartum depression in single mothers who abandoned their children: a clinical study of four cases in the state of Chlef (Algeria)

Abstract

This study aims to detect postpartum depression among single mothers who abandoned their children at an early age due to special circumstances. We started from the following problematic question: Do single mothers who abandoned their children suffer from symptoms of postpartum depression? We used the clinical approach based on the case study method on a research group that included four cases of single mothers who were deliberately selected by the Family and Social Cohesion Service in Chlef State, aged between (30 and 40 years). We applied the semi-directed clinical interview and the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale to them. The results of the study showed that single mothers who abandoned their children at an early age suffer from symptoms of postpartum depression to varying degrees.