Psychological impact of first vs. repeated cesarean sections: A comparative study on postpartum depression, anxiety,...

Pregnancy impacts women's physical and emotional well-being, with cesarean births potentially causing stress, anxiety, and depression. Previous childbirth experiences significantly shape views on subsequent pregnancies.

To Study the Prevalence of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress In Women Who Underwent Their First CS As Compared To those with repeated CS.

It is a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Ahmedabad. Obstetric-Gynaecological Department. It included 130 women, 65 who had their first CS and another 65 who had subsequent sections. After taking informed consent, Participants' sociodemographic and clinical information was acquired using a Performa, and their anxiety, depression, and stress levels were measured using three scales: GAD-7, EPDS, and PSS. Statistical analysis was performed using Excel and the statistical software SPSS.

Anxiety was significantly higher in rCS women (38.46%) than in fCS women (21.53%) (P = 0.03), while depression (26.15% vs. 16.92%) and stress (38.46% vs. 26.15%) were more common in rCS but not statistically significant. Depression correlated with maternal age (P = 0.0002) and education (P = 0.044), anxiety with emergency cesarean (P = 0.01), and stress with unplanned pregnancy (P = 0.04).

The findings of this study emphasize the need for interventions like mental health support programs, stress management strategies, educational initiatives and early detection of mental health issues during prenatal care to improve maternal well-being.