Wu TT, Shen WY, Chen LH, Cao BL, Xu CY, Fang Y. Effect of Internet Plus-based postpartum healthcare services on postpartum depression of primipara and growth and development of neonates. World J Psychiatry 2025; 15(11): 108797 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i11.108797]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Yue Fang, Department of Obstetrics, Suzhou Ninth People’s Hospital, Suzhou Ninth Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, No. 2666 Ludang Road, Taihu New Town, Wujiang District, Suzhou 215200, Jiangsu Province, China. fangyuekangta@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Psychology
Article-Type of This Article
Retrospective Study
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Nov 19, 2025 (publication date) through Nov 3, 2025
Times Cited of This Article
Times Cited (0)
Journal Information of This Article
Publication Name
World Journal of Psychiatry
ISSN
2220-3206
Publisher of This Article
Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
Share the Article
Wu TT, Shen WY, Chen LH, Cao BL, Xu CY, Fang Y. Effect of Internet Plus-based postpartum healthcare services on postpartum depression of primipara and growth and development of neonates. World J Psychiatry 2025; 15(11): 108797 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i11.108797]
Ting-Ting Wu, Wei-Ying Shen, Li-Hui Chen, Bing-Lin Cao, Chao-Ying Xu, Yue Fang, Department of Obstetrics, Suzhou Ninth People’s Hospital, Suzhou Ninth Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Suzhou 215200, Jiangsu Province, China
Author contributions: Wu TT and Fang Y wrote the manuscript, conducted the analysis, and provided guidance for the research; Shen WY, Chen LH, Cao BL, and Xu CY contributed to conceiving the research and analyzing data; all authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by 2024 Academy Level Research Start up Fund, No. YK202434.
Institutional review board statement: This study has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Suzhou Ninth People’s Hospital, No. YJKY204-034-01.
Informed consent statement: All research subjects provided informed written consent regarding personal and medical data collection prior to enrollment in the study.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Yue Fang, Department of Obstetrics, Suzhou Ninth People’s Hospital, Suzhou Ninth Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, No. 2666 Ludang Road, Taihu New Town, Wujiang District, Suzhou 215200, Jiangsu Province, China. fangyuekangta@163.com
Received: June 24, 2025 Revised: July 23, 2025 Accepted: August 21, 2025 Published online: November 19, 2025 Processing time: 131 Days and 23.8 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
First-time mothers may encounter various problems during postpartum, which can result in negative emotions that can affect infant care. In today’s Internet era, continuous nursing services can be provided to mothers and their babies after delivery through Internet-based platforms. This approach can help reduce negative emotions of primiparas and promote better health for both mothers and babies.
AIM
To explore the effect of Internet Plus-based postpartum healthcare services on postpartum depression of primiparas and neonatal growth and development and thus provide a scientific basis for strengthening postpartum healthcare measures and better protect maternal and child health.
METHODS
The study retrospectively collected data of primiparas and their newborns who underwent prenatal examination and successfully delivered at the Ninth People’s Hospital of Suzhou City. The observation group included 30 primiparas and their newborns who received Internet Plus-based postpartum healthcare services between July and December 2024. According to the principle of matching (1:1) control study, the control group included 30 primiparas and their newborns who received routine postpartum healthcare services between January and June 2024. The maternal role adaptation questionnaire scores, breastfeeding rates, Edinburgh postnatal depression scale (EPDS) scores, and newborn growth and development (height, head circumference, and weight) were compared between the two groups at the time of discharge after delivery and 6-week postpartum follow-up.
RESULTS
Upon hospital discharge, the two groups did not demonstrate significant differences in maternal role adaptation scores, breastfeeding rates, EPDS scores, as well as newborn height, head circumference, and weight at birth (P > 0.05). At the 6-week postpartum follow-up, the maternal role adaptation score and breastfeeding rate were higher in the observation group than in the control group (P < 0.05). In addition, one case of postpartum depression was reported in the observation group and eight in the control group. Moreover, the control group exhibited a significant increase in EPDS scores compared with scores at hospital discharge (P < 0.05), whereas the observation group showed only a marginal, nonsignificant increase in EPDS scores (P > 0.05). The EPDS score of the observation group was significantly lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05), indicating a lower risk of postpartum depression in the observation group. The length, head circumference, and weight of the newborns 6 weeks after birth were increased compared with those at birth, and the growth rate was higher in the observation group than in the control group (P < 0.05), indicating better growth and development in the observation group.
CONCLUSION
Internet Plus-based postpartum healthcare services improve maternal role adaptation, increase breastfeeding rates, mitigate postpartum depression risk, and promote neonatal growth and development in primiparas.
Core Tip: Primiparas are at a higher risk of experiencing postpartum depression, which can negatively affect the growth and development of their newborns owing to their limited parenting experience. This study focuses on the introduction of Internet Plus-based postpartum healthcare services to effectively improve maternal role adaptation and increase breastfeeding rates among primiparas. This approach was found to positively contribute to reducing postpartum depression and promoting neonatal growth and development.
