This study aims to examine the effects of providing infant massage training to mothers in the early postpartum period with the goal of preventing postpartum depression and enhancing maternal bonding.

Postpartum depression is a common and serious mood disorder influenced by various factors. The global prevalence of postpartum depression has been identified as 17.22%. Depressive symptoms experienced by the mother can affect her daily activities and have a negative impact on infant care. Postpartum depression can also affect mother-infant bonding. A healthy bond between the mother and the baby supports the baby in feeling secure, emotionally satisfied, and adapting to the world. Infant massage has been encouraged in recent years for mothers as it can create positive effects on both depression and maternal attachment. This study provided infant massage training to mothers in the early postpartum period with the aim of preventing postpartum depression and enhancing maternal attachment. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was administered to participants on the 14th day postpartum, and those with a score of 12 or below were included in the study. A total of 70 participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (35 participants) or the control group (35 participants). The experimental group received a 5-week International Association of Infant Massage (IAIM) Infant Massage Program starting from the 14th day postpartum. The control group did not receive any training or intervention. At the end of the 5 weeks, participants were assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the Maternal Attachment Inventory. The study examined whether there were differences in the mean scores of the scales between the groups.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Primiparous
• Singleton pregnancy
• Delivery at term (37-42 weeks of gestation)
• Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale score ≤ 12
• No physical health issues preventing massage
• No history of psychiatric illness (self-reported)
• At least basic literacy
• Residing in Ankara
• No previous training in infant massage
• Speaking the same language as the researcher
• Absence of any anomaly, malformation, or health issue preventing massage (for infants)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Not having completed the infant massage training
• Wanting to withdraw from the study for any reason

Responses from the participants were coded as "Group 1" and "Group 2" by an independent individual, and the information regarding which code corresponded to which group was not shared with the statistician. The statistician performed the data analysis and wrote the results report, which was then communicated to the researcher. Only after this stage did the researcher learn which code corresponded to which group.