Families' experiences of interaction with the public health nurse at the child health clinic in connection with mother's post-natal depression

Accessible summary Mother's postnatal depression affects the functioning of the entire family. Families felt lack of holistic cooperation at the child health clinics. Abstract The birth of a new family member causes many changes in the way a family functions. Annually some 10% of mothers giving birth suffer from post-natal depression. This depression affects the mother herself, the baby and the functioning of the entire family. The healthcare personnel are faced with an important task in supporting the family in the course of changes occasioned by the birth of a baby. According to earlier studies, families with small children are fairly satisfied with the service provided by the child health clinics. The purpose of the present study was to form a theory of interaction with the public health nurse in the child health clinic when the mother is suffering from post-natal depression from the viewpoint of family. The data for the study were gathered by interviewing nine families (nine mothers and five fathers) where the mother had displayed symptoms of post-natal depression. The data were analysed using continuous comparative analysis of grounded theory. The concepts of the theory emerged as a lack of continuing relationship, a need to be equal partners, a lack of individuality and a lack of family care. The relationships between categories were lack of discussing, lack of being confidential and lack of getting help enough. The core category emerging was lack of holistic cooperation with unique family. In spite of the emphasis placed on family centeredness in the operating principles of the work in child health clinics, its implementation in practical work cannot be taken for granted. Because of the limited resources available to the clinics, it is the experience of depressed mother in particular that they are not treated sufficiently as individuals and that they are subjected to adjudication in the clinics. The parents felt that the personality of the public health nurse was crucial to how they felt about the service they obtained from the clinic.