Representation of Postpartum Depression in Ghana’s Online Media: A Discourse Analysis of graphiconline.com and myjoyonline.com

Abstract

Mental health continues to be an issue of global concern. The issue has been compounded by the fact that it remains a neglected area especially within the continent of Africa. In Ghana, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over 650,000 people are suffering from a form of severe mental disorder. One form of mental disorder that continues to affect women is postpartum depression and WHO has identified a high prevalence of postpartum depression in mothers of sick children in Ghana. The situation has serious implications for both mothers and their children. What remains imperative in an attempt to address the issue is promoting health knowledge about the disease, in addition to educating and changing health behaviors. This requires the need for a proactive media to help address the issue. The media is an important agency with great influence in providing mental health information and shaping public perception. It is for this reason that this study seeks to identify and examine how the Ghanaian media has represented postpartum depression via the online news media platform. The study will employ the use of a qualitative research approach by way of discourse analysis to help examine how postpartum depression stories are represented. This will involve purposively sampling news stories and articles from myjoyonline.com and graphiconline.com from January 2015 to December 2020 to ascertain how information regarding the disease was framed. The study when completed will provide empirical data on online media representation of postpartum depression among women in Ghana. This will help the various stakeholders within the mental health eco system to design programs and initiatives aimed at raising awareness on the disease.