Depressed Motherhood: Prevalence and Covariates of Maternal Postpartum Depression among Urban Mothers in India.

Background: The prevalence of Postpartum Depression (PPD) in the world is estimated to range from 10 to 30%. In India, about 22% of mothers suffer from postpartum depression.

Purpose: Study objective is to examine the prevalence and covariates of postpartum depression among new mothers; and find the association between the indices of social support, partner support and attention shifting with experience of postpartum depression.

Methods: A cross-sectional hospital-based study design was used. The sample for this study included 240 postnatal mothers from Pune urban areas selected randomly from three hospitals who attended postnatal check-ups or immunizations in the city. Postpartum depression was assessed using Marathi validated Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS). Support from the respondents mother, mother-in law, husband, relatives was assessed for estimating Social Support Index. The husband's support was assessed for Partner Support Index; and shift of attention from mother to baby was for Attention Shift Index. Mothers who scored ≥13 on the EPDS scale were categorised as depressed. Reliability and validity of the scales and indices was checked using Chronbach's alpha. Univariate, bivariate, and logistic regression were used to determine the association of various indices with PPD.

Results: Of the 240 mothers surveyed, 63 (26.3%) mothers scored ≥13 on EPDS and thus, were categorised as depressed. A strong statistical association was found between social support with postpartum depression (AOR:3.037; 95% CI:1.486-6.208) and unadjusted models (UOR: 2.269; 95% CI:1.056-4.87), partner support (AOR:4.979;95%CI:1.348-18.388) and attention shift from mother to baby with PPD (Both adjusted to AOR:2.618; 95%CI:1.441-4.858; and unadjusted UOR: 2.373; 95%CI:1.072-5.254). However, no significant association was found between socio-demographic variables and postpartum depression.

Conclusion: Higher levels of postpartum depression in urban mothers affect the women and their children's health. Screening of expecting mothers for possible symptoms of depression during antenatal care could reduce the chances of depression during postpartum period. Considering its prevalence, depression should be addressed in national mental health programmes. More robust research is required for better understanding of the factors responsible for postpartum depression in urban India.