Risk factors of postpartum depression

Postpartum depression (PPD) is one of the most common puerperal psychiatric illnesses impairing quality of life and mental health of the mother and also the child.

The aim is to study the prevalence and risk factors of PPD.

This cross-sectional observational study was done on a sample of 295 mothers who delivered and were followed up at a tertiary care hospital. The mothers were administered Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and demographic, psychosocial, and clinical data were collected.

The age of the participant mothers ranged from 18 to 35 years and age at marriage ranged from 21 to 24 years. In most of the mothers, the parity was 2 and they had institutional vaginal delivery. The prevalence of PPD in this population of mothers was 30.84%. The factors that had a statistically significant association with PPD included: lower educational status of mother, lower family income, rural place of residence, higher parity, preterm delivery, and adverse events in newborn.

PPD is a common mental health problem in the postpartum period. Sociodemographic factors such as low educational status of mothers, rural population, and low monthly family income were found to be associated with PPD. Primipara status, preterm delivery, and adverse events in newborn were also significantly associated.