Association rules of factors influencing postpartum depression
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Abstract
Postpartum depression is a mental health condition that results from the abrupt hormonal fluctuations occurring during the postnatal period. This condition significantly affects the psychological well-being of mothers and directly impacts the well-being of the infant, as well as the broader familial and social environment. This study aims to generate
association rules and identify relevant factors that serve as preliminary data for the development of a screening tool
for postpartum depression. This research employs the Apriori algorithm to identify association rules within a dataset sourced from the Kaggle platform. The dataset comprises 1,503 instances and includes ten relevant variables, which are age, feelings of sadness or tearfulness, fatigue, sleep disturbances, difficulties with concentration or decision-making, eating disturbances, feelings of guilt, social withdrawal, suicide attempts, and anxiety, which serves as the key response variable. Relying on data from a single source in the experiment presents limitations regarding the generalizability of the findings to a wider population. The performance of the association rules is evaluated by applying
a minimum support threshold of 0.2 and a minimum confidence threshold of 0.2. The experimental results reveal 18
significant association rules. The most frequently occurring factors that exhibit strong relationships with the target
variable are difficulty concentrating or making decisions, suicide attempts, and feelings of sadness or tearfulness.
These three factors significantly affect the mental health of postpartum mothers. The findings of this study highlight
the importance of supporting the mental health of postpartum mothers, understanding their emotions and thoughts,
and preventing potential risks associated with these factors. The findings of this research apply to the design of a
screening model for postpartum depression and the development of appropriate counseling and guidance strategies
aimed at reducing risks and enhancing the long-term quality of life for both mothers and their infants.
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References
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