Prevalence of and sociodemographic factors associated with antenatal depression among women in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

Background. Pregnancy-related depression is a common psychiatric disorder and a major public health concern in both developed and developing countries, but the disorder receives little attention and few resources, particularly in developing countries.Objectives. To assess the prevalence of antenatal depression and its sociodemographic risk factors among pregnant women in Limpopo Province, South Africa.Methods. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in a district hospital from 8 March to 12 April 2021. Consecutive women attending antenatal care services during the data collection period were included in the study. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was used to assess depression symptoms.Results. The prevalence of antenatal depression was 31% (95% confidence interval 26.1 - 36.3). Being unmarried, being a smoker, being without financial support from a partner, having a violent partner and having a less-educated partner were significant predictors of antenatal depression in these women.Conclusion. Nearly one-third of the pregnant women in our study had depressive symptoms. The important predictors of antenataldepression included being unmarried, smoking, lack of financial support from a partner, intimate partner violence and having a lesseducated partner. These findings may help healthcare workers to identify women at risk early, so that support can be offered during pregnancy and childbirth.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Depression and Anxiety among Women in the Last Trimester of Pregnancy: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…In contrast, our results did not find a significant association between a low educational level and depression and anxiety during pregnancy, but previous research has consistently shown a link between lower educational levels and antenatal depression [ 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 ].…”

Depressive symptoms and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care at Comprehensive Specialized Hospitals in Northwest Ethiopia, 2022: an institution-based cross-sectional study

“…Semi-structured questionnaires adapted from WHO ASSIST V3 were used to measure behavioral aspects such as alcohol, tobacco, khat chewing, and other substance use ( 31 ). Pregnant women who used substances such as tobacco, khat, and alcohol only for non-medical purposes during this pregnancy were deemed to be currently using substances, while participants who used substances like these before the current pregnancy were considered to have ever used substances ( 41 ).…”

“…In developed countries, a meta-analysis study found that the prevalence rates of depression were 7.4% (2.2–12.6%), 12.8% (10.7–14.8%), and 12.0% (7.4–16.7%) during the first, second, and third trimesters, respectively ( 10 ). A high prevalence of depressive symptoms or probable depression during pregnancy has been reported from developing countries, i.e., 18% in Bangladesh ( 29 ), 24.8% in Nepal ( 30 ), 25 % in Pakistan ( 22 ), 20.2 % in Brazil ( 19 ), 39 % in South Africa Cape Town ( 20 ), 38.5 % in South Africa KwaZulu-Natal ( 21 ), 31% in Limpopo Province South Africa ( 31 ), 39.5 % in Tanzania ( 28 ), 26.9% in Ghana ( 32 ), 29.4% in Nigeria ( 33 ), and 15.2 %−35.4% in Ethiopia ( 9 , 34 – 36 ).…”