Determinants Associated with Depression during Antepartum Period among Women in Tertiary Care Hospital, Karachi

Abstract

Background: Depression is a significant mental health illness characterized by feelings of grief, disinterest, low self-esteem, altered sleep patterns, and decreased appetite. The high prevalence of antepartum depression (68.2 %) has pointed toward the importance of improving health services for mental health. Regardless of the alarming prevalence, it’s still neglected in developing countries. Hence the study aimed to determine the factors associated with antepartum depression among women in a tertiary care hospital in Karachi.

Methodology: Analytical Cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of one year, on 134 women for antepartum depression. Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale and a closed-ended questionnaire were used. The Chi-square test was used to determine if a relationship was significant at P value < 0.05. The bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of antepartum depression.

Results: The study found a high prevalence of antepartum depression, affecting 70% of women. Severe depression was reported in 64.06% of antepartum women. A significant association was observed between antepartum depression and family abuse (P-value; 0.011*).

Conclusion: Our study reported high burden of depression, where income and education level of the husband were associated with antepartum depression. Important social factors such as violence and husband abuse, family abuse, and lack of decision-making power were also significant. This high burden of depression demands an urgent need for intervention targeted at raising mental health awareness of women, empowering them for making decisions for their health and well-being.