Abstract
BACKGROUND: According to the International Classification of Diseases-10, postnatal depression (PND) is the presence of depressive symptoms that develop within 6 weeks of delivery. Only a few studies conducted in India have reported the incidence of PND in rural communities. AIM: To determine the incidence of postnatal depression and its risk factors in a rural area of northern India. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted on 232 postnatal women from a rural area of northern India. These women were enrolled as they were screened negative for PND using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) within 7 days of delivery and were again followed up at 6 weeks to find the incidence of PND. A score ≥10 was considered positive for PND. RESULTS: Out of 290 postnatal women screened within 7 days of delivery, 58 were positive for PND (20.0%). Of 232 postnatal women, with a mean age of 25.0 ± 4.2 years, screened negative, 227 were followed up at 6 weeks, and 31 women were found to have developed PND (13.7%). PND was seen to be significantly associated with the husband's substance use, presence of sadness during the antenatal period, unsatisfaction with the marital relationship, unsatisfaction with the sex of the infant, low birth weight of the infant, and history of hospital admission of infant in the first 6 weeks (P value < 0.05). CONCLUSION: PND is a public health concern for which antenatal and postnatal women should be screened, counseled, and treated for PND at the primary healthcare level in India.