article · PLoS ONE
Depression is a significant mental disorder during pregnancy, with higher burdens noted in developing nations. A cross-sectional health facility survey of 323 pregnant women attending public antenatal care in Arba Minch town, Ethiopia, evaluated the prevalence and contributing factors of antenatal depressive symptoms. Using the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale, the study found that 35.4% of the participants experienced antenatal depression. Several maternal characteristics demonstrated strong associations with the condition. Women with anxiety, those who were experiencing their first pregnancy, and those reporting an unplanned pregnancy faced significantly higher odds of depressive symptoms. Additionally, lower educational attainment, specifically having no formal education or completing only elementary schooling, was linked to increased risks. The findings point to the need for routine screening systems and supportive management protocols during routine antenatal care visits to address maternal mental health alongside general prenatal services.
Antenatal depression poses substantial challenges to maternal well-being, yet mental health checks are often overlooked during routine prenatal visits. Demonstrating that more than a third of pregnant women in this local setting suffer from depression underlines the urgent necessity to incorporate systematic mental health screening and tailored care pathways directly into primary healthcare programmes.
The abstract points to the need for routine screening and management mechanisms within antenatal care, suggesting future opportunities for clinical diagnostic tools or integrated health service software. However, the study represents early observational public health research, and the abstract does not indicate an explicit application pathway or ready commercial product.
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BACKGROUND: Depression is a common mental disorder. The burden of antenatal depression is higher in developing countries which is 20% as compared to developed ones 10% to 15%. In Ethiopia around one-fifth of pregnant mothers are depressed. Despite the severity of the problem, only a few studies have been done in Ethiopia, and there is no study done in Arba Minch on the problem. OBJECTIVE: To assess the magnitude and associated factors of antenatal depressive symptoms among pregnant women attending Public Health facilities in Arba Minch town Southern Nations and Nationalities Peoples Region, Ethiopia 2018. METHODS: Health Institution based, cross-sectional study design was used to assess the magnitude and associated factors of antenatal depression among 323 pregnant mothers who came for antenatal care follow-up in all public health facilities in Arba Minch town. The systematic random sampling technique was applied. Interviewer administered, pretested structured Questionnaire containing Edinburgh postpartum depression scale was utilized. EPI INFO was used to enter data and then the data were analyzed by logistic regression using SPSS. Variables with P-value less than 0.2 in the bivariate logistic regression were inserted in for multivariable analysis to see their independent effect and those with P-value less than 0.05 were used to determine the significant association between dependent and independent variables. RESULT: The magnitude of antenatal depression was 35.4%. Variables that were significantly associated with antenatal depression on multivariate analysis were anxiety (AOR = 5.49, 95%CI: 2.56, 11.77), un-planned pregnancy (AOR = 2.71, 95%CI: 1.21, 6.07), and Primigravida (AOR = 2.96, 95%CI: 1.28, 6.8). Similarly, uneducated mothers and those who attend only elementary school had AOR 4.92, 95% CI 1.36,17.73 and AOR 4.04955CI 1.23, 13.39 respectively. CONCLUSION: The magnitude of antenatal depression, intimate partner violence, and threatening life event in Arba Minch town was high. Anxiety, unplanned pregnancy, educational status, and Primigravida were significantly associated factors with depression. There should be a mechanism for routine screening and management of antenatal depression and intimate partner violence during antenatal care follow-up.
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DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260691
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