European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

Women are more vulnerable to mental disorders like depression during postpartum.  Depression if untreated during postnatal period may adversely affects both mother and child health.
Aims and objectives:
1.         To estimate the proportion of postnatal depression among women attending Maternal and Child Health Clinic in Teaching Hospital.
2.         To determine the risk factors associated with postnatal depression among women attending Maternal and Child Health Clinic in Teaching Hospital.
Methodology: A hospital based cross sectional study was conducted in Maternal and Child Health clinic in Teaching hospital among 100 postnatal women. A predesigned and pretested questionnaire was administered to postnatal women to screen for depression by EDPS.
Results: Among 100 study subjects 60% of them belonged to 21-25 years age group and 70% had first pregnancy at the age of 15-20yrs.
Conclusion: The proportion of depression was 15% among postnatal women and predictors of postnatal depression were women with more than one living child and who had female child in the recent delivery.