Abstract
BackgroundPostpartum depression (PPD) is a significant cause of maternal morbidity and has severe consequences on the well-being of mothers, new-borns, families, and communities. PPD reduces the mother’s response to the child’s needs. In severe cases, mothers suffering from PPD are prone to postpartum psychosis, commit suicide and, in rare cases, infanticide. We aimed to determine the prevalence and understand the factors associated with PPD among mothers in southwestern Uganda.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study between November 2019 and June 2020 among 292 mothers, 6 to 8 weeks’ postpartum. Mothers were selected from three health facilities in southwestern Uganda and enrolled using stratified consecutive sampling. Postpartum depression was clinically diagnosed using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V. The factors associated with PPD were assessed by using a structured interviewer administered questionnaire. The factors were analyzed using bivariate chi square analyses and multivariate logistic regression.ResultsOverall prevalence of PPD was 27.1% (95% CI: 22.2–32.5). This did not vary by the number of previous births or mode of birth. Five factors associated with PPD were low perceived social support, HIV positive status, rural residence, obstetrical complications and the baby crying excessively.Conclusion and recommendationsPrevalence of PPD in Mbarara and Rwampara districts is higher than what has previously been reported in Uganda indicating an urgent need to identify pregnant women who are at increased risk of PPD to mitigate their risk or implement therapies to manage the condition. Midwives who attend to these mothers need to be empowered with available methods of mitigating prevalence and consequences of PPD. Women who are HIV positive, residing in rural settings, whose babies cry excessively, having low social support systems and who have birth complications may be a particularly important focus for Ugandan intervention strategies to prevent and reduce the prevalence of PPD.
Highlights
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a significant cause of maternal morbidity and has severe consequences on the well-being of mothers, new-borns, families, and communities
Study setting This study was conducted in Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH), Bwizibwera Health Centre IV (BHCIV) and Kinoni Health Centre IV (KHC-IV), approximately 270 km from Kampala, the capital city of Uganda
Participant characteristics Of the total of 580 women who were approached between November 2019 and June 2020, 275 were ineligible to participate for being less than 6 weeks and more than 8 weeks postpartum
Summary
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a significant cause of maternal morbidity and has severe consequences on the well-being of mothers, new-borns, families, and communities. Mothers suffering from PPD are prone to postpartum psychosis, commit suicide and, in rare cases, infanticide. Postpartum depression (PPD) is a significant cause of maternal morbidity and mortality [1,2,3] It has severe consequences on the physical and social well-being of Atuhaire et al BMC Pregnancy Childbirth (2021) 21:503 mothers, new-born infants, families and communities. PPD reduces the mother’s response to the child’s needs and in severe cases, mothers suffering from PPD are prone to postpartum psychosis, suicide and rarely infanticide [4,5,6]. High-income countries have a lower prevalence of PPD compared to low-income countries
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