Prevalence and Factors Associated with Postpartum Depression among Women Attending Primary Health Care Centers in Al-Madina, Saudi Arabia

Yasmeen Talal Aljehani¹, Mariam Eid Alanzi², Suzan Talal Aljehani³, Khalid Saad Alghamdi⁴, Naser Awadh ALHarthi⁵, Abdulraheem Alshareef⁶, Hanan Yousef Ali⁷ and Salah Mohamed El Sayed^{8, 9,}

¹Director of the Research and Studies Department of Health Affairs in AL-Medina Region, Consultant of Family Medicine & Director Trainer at Unit of Joint Post-graduate Family Medicine Program

²Diabetic Center in King Fahd Hospital & Sayed Al-Shohada Primary Health Care Center, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia

³Director of the Infection Control Department, Al Amal Hospital, Directorate of Health, Al-Madinah Al-Munawara, Saudi Arabia

⁴Consultant Family and Community Medicin, Senior Trainer at the Joint Program for Postgraduate Studies of Family Medicine, Al-Madina, Saudi Arabia

⁵Health Affairs for Patients’ Services, Directorate of Health, Al-Madina Al-Munawara, Saudi Arabia

⁶Medical Laboratories Technology Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, Madinah, Saudi Arabia

⁷Lecturer of psychiatry, Department of neuropsychiatry, Sohag Faculty of medicine, Sohag University, Egypt

⁸Prophetic Medicine Course and Research, Taibah College of Medicine, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia

⁹Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Taibah Faculty of Medicine, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia
Department of Medical Biochemistry, Sohag Faculty of Medicine, Sohag University, Egypt

Cite this paper:
Yasmeen Talal Aljehani, Mariam Eid Alanzi, Suzan Talal Aljehani, Khalid Saad Alghamdi, Naser Awadh ALHarthi, Abdulraheem Alshareef, Hanan Yousef Ali and Salah Mohamed El Sayed. Prevalence and Factors Associated with Postpartum Depression among Women Attending Primary Health Care Centers in Al-Madina, Saudi Arabia. Research in Psychology and Behavioral Sciences. 2020; 8(1):18-24. doi: 10.12691/rpbs-8-1-3

Abstract

Clinical picture and triggering factors for postpartum depression (PPD, postnatal depression) may vary across culturally diverse women with different causes e.g. lack of breast-feeding and consanguinity. The reported incidence of PPD among samples of Arabic women ranges from 10% to 37%. In this study, we investigated a sample of mothers (n=216) attending the primary health care centers in Al-Madina, Saudi Arabia. Data acquisition was done via a cross-sectional design. Ethical committee approval was taken and participation in the study was optional. Herein, we report that PPD prevalence in this sample was 19.4% using the Arabic version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) with a cut-off score of ≥ 12. Our study included mothers of different age groups: <20 years, 20-30 years, 30-40 years and >40 years. Majority of investigated women were in the age group 20-30 years (60.2%, n= 130). Predictors of PPD were related to parity and gravidity. Primiparous women were at almost double-folded risk of getting PPD compared to multiparous women (adjusted OR=1.91; 95% CI: 1.01-3.38). Women who delivered by normal vaginal method were more likely to have PPD compared to those delivered by cesarean section (Adjusted OR=3.11; 95% CI: 1.35-7.16). However, PPD was not significantly associated with the presence of mothers of delivering women during their confinement. Vast majority of investigated women had a regular marital life (90.6%, n=196) i.e. not widows or divorced and were house wives (79.6, n = 172). There was no significant association between PPD and women`s age or women`s family income. Compared to non-working women, those working were at slightly higher risk for PPD. However, this was also not statistically significant. Likewise, mothers’ history of depression was not associated with having postnatal depression. Moreover, PPD was not associated with regular marital status or the level of education. The relatively low number of investigated cases in our study may be limitation. More future research studies are warranted.

Keywords:
Postpartum depression prevalence risk factors Al-Madina

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