Maternal Mental Health Issues are Covered in Indian Newspapers: An Analysis

Abstract

Maternal health has been a matter of concern to nations across the globe for years now. According to World Health Organization, ‘Mental health problems such as depression and anxiety are very common during pregnancy and after childbirth in all parts of the world. According to WHO One in three to one in five women in developing countries, and about one in ten in developed countries, have a significant mental health problem during pregnancy and after childbirth. Such issues have been highlighted by the media especially print media which primarily includes newspapers, magazines, and journals. Print media, being the oldest and perhaps the most credible media, has the responsibility of not only highlighting maternal mental health issues but also spreading awareness and informing society consistently on this. It is important to improve maternal health. Hence, this study will try to analyze the coverage of maternal mental health issues in Jaipur daily newspapers, the frequency of the issues along with the influence of print media exposure on maternal health awareness among the female residents of Jaipur. Besides the Content analysis descriptive (survey) research design, using the questionnaire as the research instrument along with purposive sampling techniques was used in this study.