Abstract
BACKGROUND: Maternal depression, the second leading cause of disease burden in women worldwide is often under-diagnosed and untreated. It can have consequences for pregnancy outcomes and child health. OBJECTIVES: (1) To estimate the prevalence of antepartum depression among females attending antenatal clinic of a tertiary hospital. (2) To determine its obstetric and clinico-social correlates. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in antenatal clinic by consecutive sampling of 300 pregnant women. We included those in third trimester, aged 18-40 years and giving informed consent and excluded those with pre-diagnosed mental disorders. Pre-tested structured questionnaire and Edinburgh postnatal depression scale used. Score ≥ 10 indicated possible antepartum depression (APD). Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis applied using IBM SPSS version 22.0. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Prevalence of possible APD was 23.3%. It was higher among urban females (25.3%) than rural (17.7%) but the difference was not statistically significant. APD increased with increasing maternal age. Other socio-demographic and obstetric factors were not associated significantly with APD. History of recent stressful life event, domestic violence, marital conflict, lack of support from husband, and preference of male child were found to be the significant correlates. CONCLUSIONS: More than one out of five antenatal females had possible antepartum depression, but none had sought treatment for the same. Antenatal women of higher age and those afflicted with social pathologies are more at risk. Screening for APD should be included in the maternal and child health care programme to address this hidden 'iceberg' disease.