A Comparative Study on the Postpartum Depression of Vietnamese Marriage Immigrant Women and Korean Women

Purpose: This study aimed to examine postpartum depression of Vietnamese married immigrant women and Korean women, and to identify factors that affect postpartum depression. Methods: Subjects of one hundred and thirty-five women who had delivered a baby within 3 years were part of the study. Of these women, sixty were Vietnamese married immigrant women and sixty –seven were Korean women living in Gangwon Province. Kim's (2005) Korean version of Cox's (1987) EPDS (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) was used to evaluate postpartum depres-sion. The reliability of the entire subjects was Cronbach's ⍺=.677, Vietnamese women.743, and Korean women.654. Results: There were significant differences between the two groups in demographic data and obstetric history. There were significant differences in EPDS (t=-0.236, p=.814) of the type of household between the two groups. Korean women experienced more depression in the items of EPDS 1,2,5, and Vietnamese women experienced more depression in the items of EPDS 7, 8, and 10 when comparing item by item. The influencing factors of EPDS in entire subjects were marriage type, satisfaction of relationship with the husband and other household extended family members, and emotional experience during pregnancy. Conclusion: Postpartum depression has occurred regardless of ethnicity, therefore prevention programs targeted at depression, and family support programs shoul