Background: Puerperal women are at risk of depression and self-harm, yet few attributes have been assessed. Aims : To assess the psychosocial attributes of self-harm thoughts in depressed women at 2 months postpartum. Methods : Forty postpartum women (enrolled over 1 year), diagnosed as major depressive disorder with postpartum onset were assessed for thoughts of self-harm and various psychosocial attributes. Regression analysis was used to assess the relation between them. Results : Twenty-five percent of the women with depression had self-harm thoughts (10 out of 40). Psychosocial factors assessed were significantly correlated with maternal self-harm thoughts (F = 5.92, adjusted R2 = 0.54, p < 0.01). Significant factors were maternal age (β = - 0.43, p < 0.01), education status (β = 0.80, p < 0.01), employment status (β = - 0.30, p = 0.02), and history of physical abuse (β = 0.35, p = 0.01). Conclusions : Psychosocial factors are associated significantly with self-harm thoughts in puerperal women.
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