Prevalence of postpartum depression and associated sociodemographic and obstetric factors. The hidden side of being a mother
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Maestro González MB, Pascual Tomé RM, Martín Marín C. Prevalencia de depresión posparto y factores sociodemográficos y obstétricos asociados. Metas de Enferm nov 2009; 12(9): 50-54
Authors
1Mª Belén Maestro González, 2Rosa Mª Pascual Tomé, 2Cristina Martín Marín
Position
1Enfermera de Apoyo-Dirección de Enfermería. Gerencia Atención Primaria, Palencia. 2Matrona Centro de Salud “Jardinillos", Madrid.
Contact address
C/ Alonso Fernández de Madrid, s/n. 34001 Palencia
Contact email: bmaestro@gappa05.sacyl.es
Abstract
Objectives: to estimate the risk of postpartum depression (PPD) in a population of women in the postnatal period who were seen in an urban health centre of the Palencia health Area, to assess the utility and ease of use of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) in the management of women in the postpartum phase, to identify if there is a relationship between the detected risk of depression and sociodemographic, obstetric and psychosocial risk factors and to identify the knowledge and attitudes of women in the postnatal period regarding PPD.
Material and method: descriptive study performed on women who attended the first post-partum visit at the midwife’s consultation office over the course of one year (april 2007 to april 2008). Two questionnaires were used: the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and a self-elaborated questionnaire on the knowledge and attitudes of women regarding this pathology. Sociodemographic, obstetric and social variables were also studied.
Results: 74 women were studied. The risk of postpartum depression was determined to be 18% (n=13). No statistically significant associations between the different variables and the risk of PPD were found, except for marital status (increased risk of testing positive for PPD in the case of single women). 86,4% (n=64) of surveyed women had previously heard about the issue and 70,3% (n=52) consider it to be an important health problem.
Conclusions: the study coincides with the higher limit of published data, which situate PPD at 10-20%. This highlights the importance of early detection in our setting. The ease and lack of problems when filling out the questionnaire confirm that the EPDS scale is operative and useful as a PPD risk screening method in Primary Care and should be applied to all women in the puerperium period.
Keywords:
maternal; prevention; puerperium; descriptive; postpartum depressionEdinburgh scale
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