Postpartum Depression Prevalence and Associated Factors: An Observational Study in Saudi Arabia

Background and Objectives: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a psychological disorder in women who recently gave birth. It can present as mild to severe depression. Multiple studies across the globe have used the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale to reveal the factors that affect the prevalence of PPD. Results from various published studies showed a high prevalence of PPD in Saudi Arabia. The objective of this study is to investigate the major factors that increase PPD and other associated factors. Materials and Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was carried out at primary healthcare centres and military hospitals in Al Kharj. The study measured the rate of PPD among Saudi women during the postpartum period. We studied 279 women aged 19-45 (mean age 31.91, SD ± 6.45) in their postpartum period and followed up to 2 months after delivery. Results: The prevalence of PPD in our cohort was 32.8%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that previous depression diagnosis (p = 0.001), lower education status (p = 0.029), unemployment (p = 0.014), and delivery disposition of C-section (p = 0.002) remained associated with an increased risk of developing PPD. Conclusions: The increasing number of Saudi women with PPD demonstrates that it is a highly prevalent condition. PPD affects not only the health of the mother but also that of her baby and other family members. Our results showed that the history of diagnosed depression, lower education status, unemployment, and delivery disposition of C-sections were independent predictors of PPD development. Raising awareness and controlling the vulnerable factors could decrease the high risk of its effects.