Article
Authors: Mohammed N Salem (Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Sohag, Egypt) , Mohamed N Thabet (Department of Neuropsychiatry. Faculty of Medicine, Sohag, Egypt) , Howieda Fouly (Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Assiut University, Egypt) , Ahmed M Abbas (Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Egypt)
Aim: Postpartum Depression (PPD) is one of the most common complications of the postpartum period. In Egypt, previous studies have reported that the prevalence of PPD ranged from 20-50% depending on location in Lower and Upper Egypt. This study aimed to evaluate the co-factors affecting the occurrence of PPD amongst puerperal women in Sohag city, Egypt.
Methods: The study was carried out at Sohag University Hospital from June 2015 to May 2016. All women within 6 weeks after birth who gave their consent were included. A pretested questionnaire including demographic, psychosocial, maternal and infant variables as well as the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was completed. A woman with an EPDS score ≥13 was considered to have PPD, while a score < 12 ruled out PPD.
Results: We recruited 658 women, among whom 47 had an EPDS score ≥13, giving a prevalence of 7.14% of PPD. Women who delivered female babies or those who had a medical illness in their babies were significantly more likely to suffer from PPD.
Conclusion: The prevalence of PPD in our setting was 7.14% which reflected the lowest prevalence among regions in Egypt. This could be due to differences of regional culture, families’ ties or other co-factors and needs further verification.
Keywords: Postpartum depression, puerperium, maternal morbidity.
How to Cite: Salem, M. N. , Thabet, M. N. , Fouly, H. & Abbas, A. M. (2017) “Factors affecting the occurrence of postpartum depression among puerperal women in Sohag city, Egypt”, Proceedings in Obstetrics and Gynecology. 7(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.17077/2154-4751.1328