International Journal of Clinical Case Reports, 2025, Vol.15, No.4, 182-189 http://medscipublisher.com/index.php/ijccr 186 More high-quality and large-sample studies are needed in the future to further clarify the true impact of room-sharing with infants on postpartum depression. 5 The Mechanism of Relieving Postpartum Depression with Roommates 5.1 Enhance emotional connection and mother-infant attachment relationship During the crucial postpartum period, when the mother and the baby are in the same room all the time, it helps to deepen the emotional connection and promote a safe mother-infant attachment relationship. Studies have found that complete room-sharing with infants can weaken the link between insecure attachment types (such as anxious or avoidant) and postpartum depression, suggesting that such intimate contact can help emotionally unstable mothers reduce the risk of depression (Lichter et al., 2020). By creating a warm environment and enabling mothers to respond promptly to their babies' needs, sharing a room with infants can help enhance mothers' sensitivity and confidence in care. For high-risk mothers who already have attachment problems, such intimate interactions may break the vicious cycle between emotional anxiety and depression (Lichter et al., 2020). 5.2 Promote the secretion of oxytocin and endocrine regulation through breastfeeding Rooming-in with infants encourages frequent and on-demand breastfeeding, and breastfeeding can promote the release of oxytocin in the mother's body. Oxytocin is often referred to as the "emotional hormone". It can relieve stress, bring relaxation and improve mood, and plays a positive role in preventing postpartum depression (Wang et al., 2021). Therefore, with the help of rooming-in for infants, breastfeeding has become an important way to regulate endocrine and support mental health. In addition, when sharing a room with a baby, natural intimate contact and skin-to-skin contact can also promote the secretion of oxytocin, further enhancing emotional connection and reducing stress. This hormonal regulatory mechanism explains from a physiological perspective the positive impact of rooming-in with infants on mothers' emotions and psychological states (Liu et al., 2020; Wang et al., 2021). 5.3 The positive effect of nursing support on enhancing mothers' self-efficacy In the room-sharing model with infants, caregivers tend to offer more support, such as providing parenting guidance, comfort and practical assistance. This kind of assistance can enhance mothers' confidence in caring for newborns, and this confidence is precisely a key factor in reducing the risk of postpartum depression (Lichter et al., 2020). When a mother feels that she is capable of taking care of her baby, she is less likely to experience depression. During the period of rooming-in care for infants, nursing intervention can also help identify early emotional problems in mothers and provide timely assistance or referral services. This proactive approach can not only enhance the confidence of mothers, but also ensure that they receive the necessary psychological support during the postpartum stage, thereby better coping with various challenges faced by new mothers (Lichter et al., 2020; Liu et al., 2021). 6 Limitations of Current Rooming-In Research and Directions for Improvement 6.1 The research design is inconsistent with the intervention plan At present, there are significant differences in the design of studies on infantile rooming-in, including various forms such as randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, quasi-experimental studies, and pre-and post-comparative quality improvement studies (MacMillan et al., 2018). These different research methods make it difficult to directly compare the research results and draw clear conclusions. In addition, the definitions of rooming-in for infants, the duration of intervention, and the specific indicators for assessment vary, which also makes the integration and interpretation of the research more complicated (Brummelte and Galea, 2016). Furthermore, there are no uniform standards for the intervention details in many studies. Some adopt a fully room-together approach for infants, while others implement it partially or modify it. This difference may introduce bias and also limit the scope of application of the research results. Sensitivity tests in the meta-analysis
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