article · Frontiers in Communication
Postpartum depression remains poorly identified in northern Nigeria, where understanding of emotional distress is deeply shaped by cultural and communicative environments. A study involving 128 women across 16 focus groups in urban and rural parts of Niger and Yobe States examined how information sources affect help-seeking behaviours. Findings indicate that women navigate fragmented information networks, including family, peers, religious leaders, traditional sources, and the media. While providing emotional support, these channels frequently normalise or spiritualise symptoms, which downplays the severity of the illness and delays medical care. Urban women show greater reliance on online health information, whereas rural women depend on interpersonal communication. The research introduces a Communication-Integrated Health Belief Model, highlighting that postpartum depression is socially constructed and calling for communication-driven interventions that blend biomedical knowledge into respected community and religious channels.
Maternal mental health directly impacts mothers, infants, and broader communities. When cultural perceptions frame postpartum depression solely through spiritual or normalising lenses, mothers are less likely to seek timely medical care. Understanding the distinct ways urban and rural women access health information helps public health practitioners design targeted, culturally resonant health communication programmes that engage trusted faith and community leaders.
This research provides early-stage conceptual framing rather than a direct commercial product. The insights and the proposed Communication-Integrated Health Belief Model could guide public health organisations, non-governmental agencies, and health communication designers in developing targeted digital and community-based mental health education campaigns. Real-world application remains at an early, pre-intervention stage, requiring the design and testing of specific educational or public health communication programmes within community networks.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
Introduction Postpartum depression (PPD) is a poorly identified condition in Northern Nigeria, where the understanding of emotional distress is processed through sociocultural and communicative contexts. This paper discusses the impact of information sources on the understanding and help-seeking intentions and contributes to a Communication-Integrated Health Belief Model (CI-HBM). Materials and methods The study design is phenomenological, and focus group discussions (FGDs) were used. A purposive selection of 16 FGDs took place with 128 women aged 18-49 years in urban and rural settings in Niger and Yobe States, Nigeria. Semi- structured guides were developed in local languages and used for data collection. Data were analysed thematically as suggested by Braun and Clarke, with an explanation-building strategy. Informed consent and ethical approval were obtained. Results Women manoeuvred through a disjointed information system of family, religious, peer, traditional, and media. Although these sources were helpful in offering emotional support, they tended to normalise or spiritualise distress and minimise perceived severity and postpone professional help-seeking. City dwellers were more prone to online health knowledge, and rural women used interpersonal communication. Culturally plausible communication spaces were the arenas where social negotiation of health beliefs took place. Conclusion PPD is redefined as a communicative phenomenon that is socially constructed. The suggested CI-HBM builds on the old Health Belief Model with the emphasis on the necessity of culturally-resonant, communication-based interventions that would incorporate biomedical knowledge into trusted community and religious networks.
This page summarises published work. The authoritative version sits with the publisher.
DOI: 10.3389/fcomm.2026.1812282
Is something wrong with this record? Report it or request removal.
Discussion
Have you built on this work, tried to replicate it, or seen it applied in practice? Share what you know. Verified researchers and MARATTO™ domain experts can open a discussion, and any member can reply. Contributions are reviewed before they appear.
No discussion yet. Open the first thread.
New to MARATTO™? Create a free account.
