AN ATTACHMENT THEORY FRAMEWORK FOR THE TREATMENT OF CHILDBEARING DEPRESSION

Postpartum depression (PPD) is relatively common among childbearing wo men, with approximately 13% of recently delivered women experiencing s ymptoms severe enough to warrant a clinical diagnosis. Etiological res earch indicates that, among other factors, PPD is linked to women's ne gative perceptions of their marriages and to perceived lack of support from their spouses. In general, women tend not to be treated for PPD. If treated, the intervention does not typically address the marital c ontext in which PPD occurs. The recommended treatments are generic ind ividual therapies or group therapy with other PPD women. In this artic le, we propose that PPD be conceptualized within an attachment framewo rk, and we illustrate this perspective with case material. Attachment theory can assist the therapist in conceptualizing the client's depres sion within individual therapy. More significantly, we suggest that ma rital therapy may be an effective treatment for PPD, especially a mari tal therapy such as Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (Johnson, 1996 ) that specifically addresses the attachment bond.