PREVALENCE, RISK FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH DEPRESSION AND EXPERIENCE OF VIOLENCE AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN ATTENDING PRIMARY HEALTH CENTERS IN IBADAN NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Abstract

Pregnancy and the transition to parenthood involve major psychological and social changes in the mother, which have been linked to symptoms of anxiety and depression.The World Health Organization identifies depressive disorders as the second leading cause of global disease burden by 2020. Antenatal Depression (AD) can strike at any time during the pregnancy but seems to become more pronounced during the third trimester and can result in poor prenatal care, premature delivery, low birth weight, and, just possibly, depression in the child. Prevalence rates range between 25% to 50% using variety of depression tools. Most studies of maternal depression have focused on post-natal depression. However, depression is the most prevalent psychiatric disorder during pregnancy. Hence, this study assessed the prevalence, risk factors for antenatal depression and experience of violence among pregnant women attending selected primary health centers within Ibadan north. This study employed a cross-sectional design using a three stage sampling technique. Three wards out of a total of 12 wards in Ibadan north local government were stratified into three based on their level of development, simple random sampling was used to pick one primary health center each from the three stratified wards and proportionate random sampling was used to pick respondents from each of the health facility. All pregnant women who were present for antenatal care sessions as at the time the study was carried out were recruited. An interviewer administered questionnaire investigating the prevalence, risk factors, experience of gender-based violence and experience of stressful life events was used to obtain data from the respondents. Prevalence of depression was determined on a 30-point scale; scores less than or equal to 10 and greater11 were categorized as not depressed and depressed respectively. Questions on risk factors, experiences of gender based violence (GBV) and stressful life events (SLE) were asked objectively with either a 'yes or no' answer. Data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square test at p=0.05. The ages of the respondents ranged from 17-44 years of age with a mean age of 28.2±5.86. The prevalence rate of AD was 56.0%. More than half of the respondents were exposed to the risk factors associated with antenatal depression. Few 26(8.0%) of the respondents had high exposure to genderbased violence while pregnant. Experience of violence and parity were associated with depression, meanwhile, the socio-demographic characteristics of respondents were not associated with depression in pregnancy.

Antenatal depression is regularly overlooked and under-diagnosed, hence, antenatal care should not only focus on physical health but also on emotional health, there is need to promote investments in effective prevention, diagnosis and treatment initiatives which are essential for detecting pregnant women in need of intervention in order to safeguard the well-being of mother and baby.