TCM Constitution, Social Support, and Postpartum Depressive Symptoms: Latent Profiles and Precision Intervention Targets

Purpose – To investigate the heterogeneity among postpartum women by examining TCM constitution, social support, and postpartum depressive symptoms (PDS), identify potential subgroups, analyze the characteristics and key predictors of different subgroups, and provide targets for precision nursing. Design/Methodology/Approach – Using convenience sampling, 378 postpartum women within 42 days postpartum were recruited from a tertiary hospital in Anhui Province. Participants completed the Constitution in Chinese Medicine Questionnaire (CCMQ), Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Latent profile analysis (LPA) identified distinct subgroups. Multivariate logistic regression analyzed factors influencing subgroup membership, and a random forest model was constructed to identify and rank key predictors. Findings – Three distinct latent profiles emerged: (1) Balanced Constitution-High Social Support-Low PDS Profile (23.3%); (2) Severely Imbalanced Constitution-Moderate Social Support-High PDS Profile (25.7%); and (3) Mildly Imbalanced Constitution-Moderate Social Support-PDS Risk Profile (51.1%). Multivariate logistic regression identified place of birth, impact of pregnancy on work, parenting stress, and breastfeeding stress as significant factors influencing profile membership. The random forest model further identified parenting stress as the strongest predictor of subgroup classification. Research Implications – Significant heterogeneity exists among postpartum women regarding TCM constitution, social support, and PDS. The interaction between the severity of TCM constitution imbalance and dimensions of social support appears to be a key driver underlying the differentiation of PDS subgroups. Stratified intervention strategies, tailored to the specific characteristics and key influencing factors of each identified profile, should be developed to improve the effectiveness of precision nursing for postpartum women.