Methods
An integrated review methodology by Whittemore and Knafl (2005) was utilized to examine experimental and non-experimental research to fully comprehend the phenomenon of help-seeking behavior in postpartum women. This method provides a framework that guides the integrated review process to enhance the rigor of the review. Each article was evaluated for issues related to specifying the review purpose, searching the literature, evaluating data from primary sources, analyzing data, and presenting results. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method research studies were included in this review.
An extensive search involved review of published peer review articles from 1995 to 2009. The key words postpartum, postpartum depression, help seeking, and pediatric setting/pediatrician were used when searching the databases. The databases searched included Academic Search Premier, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Mental Measurements Yearbook, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, and Women's Studies International. Inclusion criteria focused on research articles and integrated reviews, in English, that were published in the past 15 years. Research articles that examined women during the first 2 years after giving birth were included. Research articles focusing on women who experienced other psychological disorders or high-risk situations, such as domestic violence, were not included. Research that focused on postpartum women with infants diagnosed with high-risk conditions or disorders and studies focusing on foreign-born postpartum women in the United States also were excluded from this review. The search yielded 311 articles, of which 276 did not meet the inclusion criteria for this review and therefore were not considered. The remaining 35 articles that focused on help seeking, PPD, and screening for PPD in the pediatric setting were included in this review.
Relevant information was extracted from the eligible articles and grouped into the three major categories of PPD, PPD and help seeking, and PPD identification in pediatric settings. Research articles are presented according to problem identification, author, date, purpose, design, sample, methods, and research findings.