Date of Graduation

5-2022

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Nursing

Advisor/Mentor

Ballentine, Hope

Committee Member/Reader

Clark, Theresa

Abstract

With the exponential rise in reported cases of postpartum depression, medical workers within the psychiatric and research communities seek to discover new methods to prevent its onset. The purpose of this study is to compile the available research that has been conducted to investigate the relationship between perinatal nutrition and the prevention of postpartum depression. Nineteen peer-reviewed articles were gathered from medical databases based on their ability to report evidence on the increased consumption of omega-3 fatty acids or vitamin D and their prophylactic therapy against postpartum depression. Overall, many articles suggest a positive association as individuals’ mental health screenings improved after following a diet high in the selected nutrients during their pregnancy. While further longitudinal research needs to be conducted to acquire more objective data on this topic, the findings among these articles are important to address for the progression of nursing and care for mothers.

Keywords

postpartum depression; vitamin D; omega-3 fatty acids; maternal health; vitamin supplementation

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