article · PLoS ONE
Postpartum depression affects mothers during and after childbirth, creating substantial short- and long-term consequences for both mothers and their children. A community-based study conducted in Gondar city, northwest Ethiopia, examined the prevalence of postpartum depression and its associated risk factors among 794 postpartum women. The findings revealed that roughly 17.25 percent of the participants experienced postpartum depression. Several demographic and domestic factors contributed significantly to the risk. Women who experienced intimate partner violence, had an unplanned pregnancy, were of younger age, had lower household incomes, or possessed limited domestic decision-making power faced higher odds of developing the condition. Additionally, low partner involvement in maternal, newborn, and child health care was strongly associated with increased depression risk. Integrating maternal mental healthcare into routine maternal services and encouraging partner involvement are critical steps to mitigate these risks.
Postpartum depression remains an overlooked aspect of maternal care despite its severe effects on family wellbeing. Identifying that social factors such as domestic violence, lack of partner support, and economic vulnerability directly exacerbate maternal mental illness allows healthcare systems to design targeted interventions, screen at-risk mothers earlier, and involve partners directly in maternal health programmes.
The abstract does not indicate an application pathway, as it focuses on an epidemiological observational study to inform public health strategies and service integration rather than commercial product development.
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BACKGROUND: Depression is the most common mental health problem that affects women during pregnancy and after child-birth. Postpartum depression, in particular, has both short and long-term effects on the lives of mothers and children. Women's health is a current global concern, but postpartum depression is a neglected issue in the maternal continuum of care and is rarely addressed. Therefore, this study aimed to assess postpartum depression and associated factors in Gondar city, northwest Ethiopia. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from August 1st to 30th, 2021 in Gondar city. A cluster sampling technique was employed to select 794 postpartum women. Data were entered by EPI DATA version 4.6 and exported to SPSS version 25 for further analysis. The multivariable logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify factors associated with postpartum depression. The adjusted odds ratio with its 95% confidence interval at a p-value of ≤ 0.05 was used to declare the level of significance. RESULTS: A total of 794 women were included in the analysis, giving a response rate of 98.5%. The prevalence of postpartum depression was 17.25% (95% CI: 14.5, 20.2). Younger maternal age (AOR = 2.72, 95% CI: 1.23, 5.85), low average monthly income (AOR = 2.71, 95% CI: 1.24, 5.91), low decision-making power (AOR = 2.04, 95%CI: 1.31, 3.18), low husband/partner involvement in MNCH care service (AOR = 2.34, 95%CI: 1.44, 3.81), unplanned pregnancy (AOR = 3.16 95% CI: 1.77, 5.62), and experience of intimate partner violence (AOR = 3.13; 95% CI: 1.96, 4.99) were significantly associated with increased odds of postpartum depression. CONCLUSION: In this study, nearly 1/5th of the study participants had postpartum depression. Thus, it is important to integrate maternal mental health services with the existing maternal health care services. It is also crucial to advocate the need for husband's involvement in MNCH care services and ensure women's decision-making power in the household. Moreover, community-based sexual and reproductive health education would be better to reduce risk factors of postpartum depression.
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DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276809
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