The Effect of Podcast Education on Postpartum Depression, Maternal Attachment, and Self-Care Agency in the Early Postpartum Period: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The population of the study, planned as a randomized controlled experimental design, consists of primiparous women who gave birth in the delivery unit of Istanbul Esenler Women's Health and Pediatric Diseases Hospital. The sample of the study will be composed of 110 postpartum women who meet the sampling criteria, are willing to participate, and are determined by power analysis. The study includes two groups: the "intervention group (n=55)," who will receive discharge education through podcasts in the early postpartum period, and the "control group (n=55)," who will receive routine discharge education. Women in the intervention group will listen to four podcasts, each lasting 5-6 minutes, about discharge education during the early postpartum period. Before the data collection forms are applied, participants will be asked to complete an "Informed Consent Form." All groups will be evaluated with the "Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale," the "Maternal Attachment Scale," and the "Self-Care Agency Scale" both before and after the intervention. The discussion and conclusions of the study will be written based on the results obtained.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Podcast; Postpartum Woman
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Providing discharge education via podcasts

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 110
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Yasemin AYDIN KARTAL, PROF.DR.; Phone Number: (0216) 777 87 77; Email: yasemin.aydin@sbu.edu.tr
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Ayşegül AKDEMİR; Phone Number: (0216) 777 87 77; Email: aysegulakdemir05@gmail.com

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Volunteering to participate in the study
• Being primigravida
• Being over the age of 19
• Giving birth in the delivery unit of Esenler Maternity and Children's Hospital
• Being able to speak and understand Turkish
• Being literate
• Having a live and singleton birth

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unwillingness to participate in the study
• Having a psychiatric diagnosis and/or using psychiatric medication
• Being an adolescent mother
• Being a high-risk postpartum woman
• Having a high-risk newborn

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experimental: İntervention group; In addition to routine discharge care, 5-6 minute podcasts consisting of 4 modules of discharge education were played.	Other: Providing discharge education via podcasts; In addition to the routine discharge education, the postpartum women assigned to the intervention group will listen to a discharge training podcast consisting of 4 modules, each lasting 5-6 minutes, via a Xiaomi Poco X3 phone.
No Intervention: No Intervention: Control group; Routine discharge care

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
1. Introductory Information Form	A data collection form was developed by the researchers based on a review of the relevant literature. The form includes items designed to assess the socio-demographic and obstetric characteristics of primiparous postpartum women. Socio-demographic variables include age, educational level, family structure, and income status. Obstetric variables include mode of delivery, receipt of prenatal education, use of postpartum contraceptive methods, and whether the pregnancy was planned.	5 Minutes
The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale	The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was developed by Cox et al. in 1987 to screen for depression during the postpartum period (26). The Turkish validity and reliability study of the scale was conducted by Engindeniz et al. in 1997. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the scale was found to be 0.79. The EPDS is a self-report instrument consisting of 10 items in a 4-point Likert-type format. Each item is scored between 0 and 3. The total score ranges from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 30.	5 minutes
Maternal Attachment Scale	The Maternal Attachment Scale (MAS) was developed by Muller in 1994 to measure maternal attachment. The Turkish validity and reliability study was conducted by Kavlak and Şirin in 2009. The MAS assesses maternal feelings and behaviors that show affection. Since it is a self-report scale, the person completing it must be literate and able to understand what they read. The scale consists of 26 items with a 4-point Likert scale, offering the options "always," "frequently," "sometimes," and "never." The scoring is: always = 4 points, frequently = 3 points, sometimes = 2 points, and never = 1 point. Scores range from 26 to 104, with higher scores indicating stronger maternal attachment. The Cronbach's alpha value was found to be 0.77 for mothers with one-month-old babies and 0.82 for mothers with four-month-old babies.	10 minutes
Self-Care Agency Scale	The Self-Care Agency Scale was developed by Kearney and Fleischer in 1979 to measure individuals' ability to care for themselves. The Turkish validity and reliability study was done by Nahçıvan in 1994. The scale has 35 items with a 5-point Likert format: "does not describe me at all," "does not describe me well," "undecided," "describes me somewhat," and "describes me very well." Scores range from 0 to 4 accordingly. Eight items (3, 6, 9, 13, 19, 22, 26, 31) are reverse scored. Positive items are scored 0-4; negative items 4-0. Scores ≤82 indicate low, 83-120 moderate, and >120 high self-care agency. Cronbach's alpha was 0.89.	10 minutes

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale	Description: The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was developed by Cox et al. in 1987 to screen for depression during the postpartum period (26). The Turkish validity and reliability study of the scale was conducted by Engindeniz et al. in 1997. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the scale was found to be 0.79. The EPDS is a self-report instrument consisting of 10 items in a 4-point Likert-type format. Each item is scored between 0 and 3. The total score ranges from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 30.	5 minutes
Maternal Attachment Scale	Description: The Maternal Attachment Scale (MAS) was developed by Muller in 1994 to measure maternal attachment. The Turkish validity and reliability study was conducted by Kavlak and Şirin in 2009. The MAS assesses maternal feelings and behaviors that show affection. Since it is a self-report scale, the person completing it must be literate and able to understand what they read. The scale consists of 26 items with a 4-point Likert scale, offering the options "always," "frequently," "sometimes," and "never." The scoring is: always = 4 points, frequently = 3 points, sometimes = 2 points, and never = 1 point. Scores range from 26 to 104, with higher scores indicating stronger maternal attachment. The Cronbach's alpha value was found to be 0.77 for mothers with one-month-old babies and 0.82 for mothers with four-month-old babies.	10 minutes
Self-Care Agency Scale	Description: The Self-Care Agency Scale was developed by Kearney and Fleischer in 1979 to measure individuals' ability to care for themselves. The Turkish validity and reliability study was done by Nahçıvan in 1994. The scale has 35 items with a 5-point Likert format: "does not describe me at all," "does not describe me well," "undecided," "describes me somewhat," and "describes me very well." Scores range from 0 to 4 accordingly. Eight items (3, 6, 9, 13, 19, 22, 26, 31) are reverse scored. Positive items are scored 0-4; negative items 4-0. Scores ≤82 indicate low, 83-120 moderate, and >120 high self-care agency. Cronbach's alpha was 0.89.	10 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): March 5, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 5, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 5, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): March 10, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 10, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 5, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Depression; Podcast; Self-care; Maternal attachment; Postpartum woman
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Depression
• Other Study ID Numbers: SBU-AYDINKARTAL-AKDEMİR

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No