A study of postpartum depression and maternal risk factors in Qatar

The objective of this study was to investigate the association between maternal complications and postpartum depression (PPD) among postpartum women in Qatar by using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) as well as a structured questionnaire.

This is a cross-sectional study of PPD of 1379 postpartum women within 6 months of delivery attending the primary healthcare centers of the State of Qatar.

The prevalence of PPD was 17.6% in the studied mothers. The results of the logistic regression analysis showed that the risk factors for PPD included various socio-demographic risk factors such as education, occupation, consanguinity and access to transportation. Amongst the maternal factors studied, history of unplanned pregnancy and infertility and other medical complications such as gestational diabetes, heart disease, threatened abortion and cesarean section were found to be risk factors for PPD. Amongst the postpartum women with maternal complications, items related to feeling scared and panicky and feeling sad and miserable were the most frequently reported symptoms of depression. These women were also more likely to be experiencing sleep difficulty (p = 0.029) compared to women without maternal complications.

While socio-demographic risk factors are well studied in the PPD literature, there is much less information on the impact of maternal complications on the psychological status of postpartum women. Postpartum women, especially those with maternal complications, need close screening and have quick access to mental healthcare within integrated reproductive health services.