Singing "the baby blues": A content analysis of popular press articles about postpartum affective disturbances

A content analysis was conducted to evaluate the description of postpartum mood disturbances in magazine articles that appeared during the years 1980- 1998. Nineteen articles about postpartum depression and eight articles abou t "the baby blues" were identified and analyzed for their discussion of eti ologies, symptoms, treatments, resources, and demographic assumptions about their readers. The results indicate a strong bias in favor of the medical model of postpartum affective disorders. The articles contained contradicto ry information about the definition, prevalence, onset, duration, symptoms, and treatment of postpartum disorders, and the authors generally assumed t hat their readers were heterosexual, married, and middle class. Although th e purpose of the articles was to educate readers about an important topic i n women's health, they failed to, provide accurate information, and thus ar e not a sufficient resource for new mothers who are seeking to learn about psychosocial aspects of the postpartum period.