Prevalence and correlates of depression in pregnancy among Turkish women

The aim of this study was to evaluate prevalence and correlates of depression in pregnancy among Turkish women in Sivas, a semi-urban region consisting partly of people with low or middle socioeconomic status. This cross-sectional population-based study was conducted in 19 primary health care centers from urban areas of Sivas in Turkey. Two hundred fifty-eight eligible pregnant women were interviewed at their home to gather the study data. A questionnaire was used to determine the socio-demographics and obstetric characteristics of the study sample. The Turkish version of the Edinburg Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was used to estimate the prevalence of depression. The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) was used to determine the social support of pregnant women. We found that with the cutoff of 13, of 258 pregnant women, 71 (27.5%) had prenatal depression. Mean EPDS score of the study population was 9.5 +/- 5.2. We found a significant positive mild-moderate correlation between the EPDS score and maternal age (r = 0.30; P = 0.000). Significant positive mild correlations were found between the EPDS score and gravidity (r = 0.26; P = 0.000) and number of living children (r = 0.15; P = 0.042). There was a significant negative moderate correlation between the EPDS score and perceived social support score (r = -0.43; P = 0.000). The EPDS score of multiparas was significantly higher than that of primiparas (P = 0.000). EPDS scores of women with unplanned pregnancy were higher than those of women with planned pregnancies (P = 0.006). EPDS scores of women with a history of stillbirth were higher than those of women with no history of stillbirth (P = 0.044). Depression is a major public concern that needs to be at the forefront of antenatal assessments in Turkey as in other countries. Health professionals, especially nurses in prenatal settings, are in a unique position to detect antenatal depression. Nurses need to monitor pregnant women for depressive symptoms, especially those who are at increased risk of developing depression.