Objective: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a significant public health issue and one of the most often observed

psychological disorders among postpartum women. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of

implementing respectful maternity care (RMC) and effective communication (EC) during labor and delivery on

experiencing postpartum depression.

Methods: One hundred twenty women were included in this trial; they were randomly assigned to two groups: the

intervention and control groups. RMC and EC are provided to the intervention group, whereas the control group

receives routine care. Six to eight weeks after delivery, postpartum depression was measured by the Kurdish

version Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale. Pearson Chi-Square, Mann-Whitney U, Likelihood Ratio and

Fisher's Exact Test were used in this analysis.

Results: Eighty percent of women in the intervention group had an Edinburgh Depression Score of less than ten,

compared to fifty percent in the control group. In addition, significantly higher mean scores on the Edinburgh

Postnatal Depression Scale in controls than in the intervention group. However, there was no significant

difference in PPD results between the intervention and control groups regarding delivery mode, pregnancy type,

baby's gender, neonatal admission to the intensive care unit, and breastfeeding.

Conclusions: The results suggest that implementing RMC and EC throughout labor and birth considerably

reduces the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Score. Thus, the study's findings have significant implications for the

primary prevention of postpartum depression.

Keywords: Childbirth, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, Effective communication, Postpartum Depression,

Respectful maternity care.