The Underlying Factors for Postpartum Depression Severity in Iran: A Single-Center Study

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common mental disorder among women and it can cause negative consequences for them, children, and families; however, accurate statistics and underlying factors on PPD and its severity are not available in Iran.

In this cross-sectional study, 200 women referred to an academic hospital for normal vaginal delivery, which had a full-term and single pregnancy and had passed between 6 weeks and 6 months of delivery, were selected by convenience sampling methods. The Edinburgh Depression Inventory and the checklist for demographic information of mothers were completed.

The prevalence of postpartum depression was 11.0% and 68.2% of mothers had a mild type. 31.8% had a history of depression. There was a significant relationship between the severity of postpartum depression in women with a previous history of depression (P = 0.012). Between postpartum depression and maternal age (P = 0.115), body mass index at delivery (P = 0.571), number of pregnancies (P = 0.693), number of deliveries (P = 0.446), number of abortions (P = 0.424), willing or unwilling pregnancy (P = 0.451), neonatal sex (P = 0.533), history of neonatal hospitalization (P = 0.725), previous history disease (P = 0.725) was no statistical association.

The prevalence of PPD was approximately 11%, and there was a significant association between postpartum depression severity and a history of depression Physicians and policymakers should consider early screening for PPD, especially among women with previous depression.