Course title: Postnatal Depression: Implications for Children’s Development
Name of lecturer: Theano Kokkinaki
Course code: PSY3302
Type of course: Seminar
Level of course: Undergraduate level
Year of study: 3rd year
Semester: Sixth Semester of studies
Number of credits: 6
Objectives of the course (preferably expressed in terms of learning outcomes and competences):
The Seminar aims to the acquisition of knowledge related to the symptoms, the diagnosis, prevention and
therapeutic intervention of maternal and paternal postnatal depression and the implications of it on children’s
cognitive, social and emotional development. After the completion of assignments, students will be familiar with
the symptoms of postnatal depression, the therapeutic methods as well as with the implications of it on infants’ and
children’s development.
Prerequisites: Μethodology of Research in Psychology
Course contents:
The topics for Seminar presentations are grouped mainly (but not exclusively) in the following thematic units:
1. Definitions, symptoms, epidemiology, diagnosis, risk factors and methods for the therapeutic intervention
of postnatal depression,
2. Implications of postnatal depression on infants’ and children’s development (cognitive, social and
emotional),
3. Paternal postnatal depression,
4. Postnatal depression in special groups (adolescent mothers, epileptic mothers, abused mothers),
5. Description and analysis of postnatal depression case studies
Recommended reading:
1. Σταματίου, Ε. & Παπαληγούρα, Ζ. (2010). Eπιλόχεια κατάθλιψη σε Ελληνίδες μητέρες: Επιδράσεις των
στρεσογόνων γεγονότων ζωής, της κοινωνικής στήριξης και της συζυγικής σχέσης (Postnatal Depression
in Greek Mothers: Impact of Stressful Events, Social Support and Marital Relationship).Ψυχολογία: Το
Περιοδικό της Ελληνικής Ψυχολογικής Εταιρείας, 17 (2), 215-229.
2. Ράμμου, Σ., & Παπαληγούρα, Ζ. (2006). Ο κίνδυνος εμφάνισης επιλόχειας κατάθλιψης: Έρευνα σε
ελληνικό δείγμα (The Danger of Postnatal Depression: Research on a Greek Sample). Επιστημονική
Επετηρίδα, Τμήμα Ψυχολογίας.
3. Alici-Evcimen, Y., Sudak, D.M. (2003). Postpartum Depression. Psychiatry Update, 10(5), 210-215.
4. Cox, J., Holden, J., Sagovsky, R. (1987). Detection of postnatal depression: development of the 10 item
Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. British Journal of Psychiatry, 150, 782-786.
5. Matthey, S., Barnett, B., Ungerer, J., & Waters, B. (2000). Paternal and maternal depressed mood during
the transition to parenthood. Journal of Affective Disorders, 60, 75-85.
6. Diego, M.A., Field, T., & Hernandez-Reif-M. (2005). Prepartum, postpartum and chronic depression
effects on neonatal behavior. Infant Behaviour and Development, 28, 155-164.
7. Cogill, S.R., Caplan, H.L., Alexandra, H., Robson, K.M.. & Kumar, R. (1986). Impact of maternal
postnatal depression on cognitive development in young children. British Medical Journal, 292, 11651167.
Teaching methods:
Presentations, DVD presentations and assignment presentations by the students
Assessment methods: The assessment of students’ performance will be based on the presentation of 4 assignments
by each student. Each presentation will correspond to 10% of the total amount (10%+10%+10%+10%=40%). The
duration of each presentation will be 25-30 minutes and it will be followed by questions, comments and discussion.
After the end of assignment presentation, students will be obliged to give the final assignment which will
correspond to 60% of the total amount (60%+40%=100%). The assessment of seminar assignments will be based on
the structure and organization of it, the internal coherence, the width of the analyzed topics, the originality, the
research questions and hypotheses addressed and the right writing and use of references.
Language of instruction: Greek