Prevalence and risk factors concerning postpartum depression among women within early postnatal periods in Turkey

• Published in: Archives of gynecology and obstetrics Vol. 283; no. 3; pp. 483 - 490
• Main Authors: Özbaşaran, Ferda, Çoban, Ayden, Kucuk, Mert
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01-03-2011; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Delivery, Obstetric - statistics & numerical data; Depression, Postpartum - epidemiology; Endocrinology; Female; Gynecology; Human Genetics; Humans; Male; Materno-fetal Medicine; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Obstetrics; Obstetrics/Perinatology/Midwifery; Postpartum depression; Pregnancy; Prevalence; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Risk Factors; Social Support; Sociodemographics; Turkey - epidemiology; Young Adult; Turkey; Postpartum depression; Unplanned pregnancy; Risk factors; Unintended pregnancy; Social support
• ISSN: 0932-0067; 1432-0711
• DOI: 10.1007/s00404-010-1402-8

Purpose
Postpartum depression (PPD) stands out as an important health issue that affects not only the mother but her partner and the entire family.
A few studies from Turkey have found the high prevalence for PPD. In the current study we aimed: (1) to report the prevalence of postpartum depression among Turkish women in Manisa province; (2) description of the association of PPD with risk factors.
Methods
To achieve the goals of the current study, we employed the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS). The perceived social support (PSS) scale was used to assess social support in the postnatal period. Socio-demographic and obstetric variables were collected through a socio-demographic and obstetric questionnaire.
Results
The mean EPDS scores of the study participants were 8.53 ± 4.93. The EPDS-based prevalence of PPD (a score of ≥13) was 28.3%. We found a significant negative correlation between EPDS scores and perceived social support from the family (PSS-Fa) and from friends (PSS-Fr) scores. The present study also revealed a significant association between postpartum depressive symptomatology and unintended pregnancy, insufficient social support, and previous history of depression.
Conclusion
The findings of the current study revealed high EPDS-based PPD prevalence in a sample of Turkish women and described a number of risk factors associated with PPD. The high prevalence found in this study indicated a need for developing new interventions for early detection and treatment of PPD. A significant number of Turkish immigrants live in western countries. We believe the findings of the current study may be helpful for physicians in locations where a large number of Turkish immigrants live.