Prevalence and Risk Factors of Postpartum Depression in Women – A Cross-Sectional Study

Postpartum period starts about an hour after the delivery of the placenta, and followed till six weeks with hormonal changes, leading to depression and one of the silent contributors to the poor maternal and child health indices in developing countries leading to increased morbidity among women. In India, PPD reports approximately 23% women in hospital-based data and prevalence varies from 11% to 26% in community-based studies. Objective: To estimate the prevalence and to know factors leading to postpartum depression among women residing in urban slums. Materials and Methods: A community-based, cross-sectional study consisting of women of any age group and in the postpartum period (2–6weeks) in urban slums of Dharwad, was conducted for a period of one year. Results: Of the 284 women, 45.8% were in the age group of 21–25 years, 38.4% had completed secondary education and most of them (84.9%) were housewives. 35% of women were from nuclear families and 53.2% belonged to upper middle class. Of 284 women, 11.27% women had developed depression, when assessed using Edinburg Postnatal Depression Screening (EPDS) scale. It was found that illiterates and literates were equally susceptible to depression (χ2=0.019, df=1, p=0.89) and there was no significant difference found. Increasing age (χ2=11.267, df=4, p=0.0237), lower socioeconomic status (χ2=9.294, df=3, p=0.025) high risk pregnancy (χ2=4.325, df=1, p=0.038), unplanned pregnancy (χ2=8.087, df=2, p=0.017) were found to be associated with postpartum depression, which was statistically significant. Conclusion: Equal importance should be given to both physical and mental health of a postpartum woman for a healthy mother and a healthy child.