Fordyce happiness program and postpartum depression

Background: Postpartum depression is endangering the health of mothers and has negative impacts on the evolution of social communication and newborns evolution. Th is study was conducted to determine the eff ects of Fordyce Happiness program on the postpartum depression. Materials and Methods: Th is quasi-experimental intervention carried out on postpartum mothers that referred to 4 health centers in Isfahan. A total of 133 mothers were selected by convenient sampling and then randomly allocated in two groups (63 and 70 mothers for intervention and control respectively). Maternal depression 3 times before, immediate and 1 months after intervention in both groups was evaluated with Beck Depression Inventory-II-Persian standardized questionnaires. Educational sessions based on the Fordyce happiness program were conducted for intervention group. Data was analyzed in SPSS17 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, Illinois) descriptive and analytic statistical tests at signifi cance level of 0.05. Results: No signifi cant diff erences in demographic variables between the two groups (P ≥ 0.05). No signifi cant diff erences in depression scores in the two groups before training. However after 2 months a signifi cant diff erence in depression score was observed between two groups (control group: 19.38 ± 3.94; intervention group: 16.24 ± 4.8; P < 0.001). Furthermore in intervention group showed signifi cant diff erences in depression scores before and after intervention (19.15 ± 3.41 and 16.24 ± 4.83; P < 0.001). However in the control group had not any signifi cant change. Conclusion: Fordyce happiness program was eff ective in reducing postpartum depression in our study. With attention to the eff ectiveness and low cost of this program, it is recommended that this program might be considered for all mothers after childbirth in health centers or other community-based settings.