Prevalence and predictors of postpartum depression among mothers: A community based cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is one of the most common mental disorder occurring during the postnatal period among women. Few studies examined prevalence and risk factors of PPD from rural and urban settings in Karnataka, India. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of postpartum depression and identify the associated risk factors for its among women from Taluka of Vijayanagar District. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a community setting in rural and urban areas of Karnataka. All postnatal women were screened through a door-to-door survey and recruited after obtaining informed consent. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic characteristics and family related variables. Edinburgh postnatal depression scale (EPDS) was used to screen for postpartum depression. Results: A total of 810 postpartum women were recruited into the study. The overall prevalence rate of PPD (Fig. 1) was 28.8 per cent (233 out of 810 mothers) when 810 mothers were screened for postpartum depression (95% CI = 11.33. 13.16). Multivariate analysis showed postpartum depression was associated with age, locality, occupation of the mother, general illness in the mother, poor financial status and pressure to have male babies. Conclusion: Prevalence of postpartum depression among women is high in rural and urban settings of Vijayanagar District, Karnataka. A multitude of factors ranging from sociodemographic, maternal, economic and family related factors confer a high risk for PPD. Comprehensive interventions are needed to address these risk factors of postpartum depression in women in the community.