Abstract
Common mental disorders (CMD), such as depression and anxiety disorders that affect mothers with young children, are a major public health issue in developing countries. This study investigates the prevalence of CMD and its associated factors among mothers attending a well-child clinic in Mombasa, Kenya. In this cross-sectional study, 429 women were screened for the presence of CMD using the Self-Reporting Questionnaire–20 (SRQ-20). Social support and social stress were measured using the OSLO Social Support Scale and the Life Events Checklist. The prevalence of CMD was 20%. High SRQ scorers were more likely to be single or separated/divorced compared with low scorers. Language, neighborhood, and financial difficulties were found to be significant independent correlates of CMD through multiple logistic regression analysis. Rates of CMD among mothers with young children in Kenya are high. This is important for nurses and pediatricians whose contact offers them an opportunity to detect CMD and refer mothers for appropriate support.
Highlights
Depression, a common mental disorder (CMD), is a serious public health concern in the developing world and is predicted to become the most common cause of disability by the year 2020 (Lopez, Mathers, Ezzati, Jamison, & Murray, 2006)
The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of CMD in mothers attending a wellchild clinic in Mombasa, Kenya, and to explore whether the CMD are associated with variables such as social stress, socioeconomic status, and social support
Bomu Hospital is a charitable organization run by the Mkomani Clinic Society that was registered in 1980 and has grown to an internationally recognized United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Centre of Excellence
Summary
Depression, a common mental disorder (CMD), is a serious public health concern in the developing world and is predicted to become the most common cause of disability by the year 2020 (Lopez, Mathers, Ezzati, Jamison, & Murray, 2006). Raising a child is a demanding task, and any physical or mental disability in the mother may have negative consequences on the child’s health, in adverse circumstances such as poverty (Goodman & Gotlib, 1999; Patel, Rodrigues, & DeSouza, 2002; Rahman, Iqbal et al, 2004). This is of great concern in low-income countries where rates of both poverty and maternal depression are high (Husain et al, 2011; Lund et al, 2010). SAGE Open for mothers has been found to be a consistent risk factor for depression (Husain et al, 2006; Harpham, 1994)
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