Operation Post-Partum Recovery: A Qualitative Study of the Post-Partum Recovery Process in a Military Spouse Population

Research has demonstrated that there are a variety of methods used to facilitate recovery of postpartum depression; however, there is little research on the topic of postpartum depression in a military spouse population. The primary goal of this study was to better understand the lived experience of military spouses' recovery process from postpartum depression. Twelve military spouses from various military branches who had recovered from postpartum depression were the research subjects for this study. A semi-structured interview guide and demographic questionnaire was used to interview each participant. Six major themes emerged from the qualitative data analysis of the results, including military wives found it difficult to be the ones to reach out for help; the difficulty in finding resources for recovering from postpartum depression in a military culture; military wives felt less comfortable utilizing mental health services than other resources; deployment/long work hours of the husband made postpartum depression symptoms more severe and recovery more difficult; it is easy to forget self-care as a mother; and there are positive benefits of the military culture that decrease postpartum depression symptoms. This study contributes to a greater understanding of the barriers that military spouses have to overcome to recover from postpartum depression, as well as the resources to which they have access. In general, the participants endorsed using a variety of services without much consistency between participants' mechanisms of recovery other than utilizing the available medical services the military provides. All participants described the experience of the lack of social support, especially the lack of support from the military service member, as well as the lack of dissemination of available resources contributed to difficulty with recovering from postpartum depression. Important clinical implications regarding facilitating the recovery from postpartum depression in a military spouse population are presented and areas of future research on this subject are discussed. These findings demonstrate the need for increased availability and organization of available resources for recovering from postpartum depression as a military spouse, as well as identifying alternatives for increasing social support in this population.