[vc_row row_type=\u00bbrow\u00bb use_row_as_full_screen_section=\u00bbno\u00bb type=\u00bbfull_width\u00bb angled_section=\u00bbno\u00bb text_align=\u00bbleft\u00bb background_image_as_pattern=\u00bbwithout_pattern\u00bb css=\u00bb.vc_custom_1613264825552{padding-bottom: 30px !important;}\u00bb z_index=\u00bb\u00bb][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=\u00bb2\/3″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n
[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=\u00bb1\/3″][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner row_type=\u00bbrow\u00bb type=\u00bbfull_width\u00bb text_align=\u00bbleft\u00bb css_animation=\u00bb\u00bb css=\u00bb.vc_custom_1613264992601{padding-top: 40px !important;}\u00bb][vc_column_inner width=\u00bb2\/3″][vc_single_image image=\u00bb4008″ img_size=\u00bbfull\u00bb alignment=\u00bbcenter\u00bb][vc_column_text]Working mothers are at higher risk of postpartum depression due to sleep deprivation, social demands to care for babies, and difficulty engaging in health promotion activities due to the demands of work and home. As one of the largest causes of disease burden in the world due to the disability it brings, depression is one of the most costly health conditions for employers. In this sense, the improvement of maternity leave policies could be a promising strategy to be implemented at the organizational, regional and national levels to improve the mental health of mothers.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n
To review the available evidence on the association between the characteristics of maternity leave policies and postpartum depression and the barriers to the implementation of such policies.<\/p>\n
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Systematic review.<\/p>\n
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We conducted a systematic review searching for randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental, cohort or cross-sectional studies on five databases using search terms including maternity and parental leave and depression. We identified 500 articles\u00a0and included 23 of those. Our findings showed that paid and longer maternity leaves tend to be associated with a reduction of postpartum depression symptoms in high-income countries. No studies explored the association between employment protection and postpartum depression.<\/p>\n
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Liliana Hidalgo, BA, MSc<\/p>\n