The Effect of Expressive Writing on Postpartum Depression and Stress of Mothers with a Preterm Infant in NICU

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of expressive writing on postpartum depression and stress of mothers with a preterm infant in NICU. This clinical trial was carried out on 91 mothers whose infants were in NICU. Subjects were assigned to intervention and control groups. In the intervention group, subjects were asked to start expressive writing from the third day of hospitalization in NICU and continue it until the tenth day. EPDS, PSS: NICU, and PSS-14 COHEN were completed by all the mothers on days 3 and 10, and 1–3 months after the admittance. Mean EPDS score was obtained as 9.65 ± 5.28, 9.23 ± 5.41, 8.19 ± 4.45, and 7.60 ± 4.65, respectively, for control group at days 3 and 10, and 1–3 months after hospitalization, and it was also obtained as 9.62 ± 5.89, 6.04 ± 3.39, 2.95 ± 2.41, and 2.44 ± 2.01, respectively, for the intervention group at days 3 and 10, and 1–3 months after hospitalization (p < 0.001). Mean PSS-14 COHEN score was lower for intervention group similar to the control group (p < 0.005). Results of the independent samples T-test showed higher stress scores for the control group before and after the intervention, but the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.08). Mothers with an infant in NICU experienced a high level of postpartum depression and stress. Thus, according to findings of this study, expressive writing is proposed as a convenient and inexpensive means to reduce levels of postpartum depression and stress.