ABSTRACT

Becoming a mother can be one of the turning points in a woman's life, although the life changes experienced postpartum can also lead to varying levels of depression. A scoping review was performed with the aim to identify how postpartum depression (PPD) might affect a mother’s occupational identity. The results show that mothers had overwhelming expectations of motherhood, which lead to a period of occupational disruption and occupational imbalance. Symptoms of PPD combined with the new life situation and variations of environmental support caused loss of control, changed self-images, habits and roles, which all disrupted the mothers’ everyday lives.