Post Partum Depression in a Tertiary Health Centre in South West Nigeria

Abstract

Aims: Various studies have shown that Psychological morbidities of various types occur frequently during pregnancy and after delivery. The main aim of this study was to determine the prevalence as well as correlates of depression among postpartum women attending the postnatal clinic of a tertiary health centre. Study Design: Descriptive  cross sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: The study was done at the Post natal clinic of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), Ado-Ekiti, southwest Nigeria over a period of 3 months. Methodology: Women attending the postnatal clinic of the centre were interviewed with a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Edinburgh postnatal depression scale using a cut off value of  9 as suggested by various studies among post partum women in this environment. Results:A total of 287 respondents were recruited in the study. The mean age of the participants was 30.81 ±4.28. The proportion of respondents with post partum depression was 20.4%.It was observed that unbooked patients, respondents with lower education, patients with difficulty in breastfeeding and patients who had suicidal thought had statistically significant higher mean scores on the EPDS ( p< .05). Conclusion: PPD is a common psychiatric morbidity. Encouraging pregnant women to seek proper care during pregnancy/child birth will help in reducing postpartum depression; thereby ensuring good maternal and child health.