Prevalence of Postpartum Depression and Its Sociodemographic and Obstetric Determinants among Mothers Attending a Maternity Hospital in Kenya: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a significant global public health concern affecting 17.7% and 18.7% of mothers globally and in Kenya respectively. The study aimed to assess the prevalence of postpartum depression and to explore its sociodemographic and obstetric determinants among mothers attending the postnatal and maternal and child health clinics at Eldoret West Maternity Hospital in Kenya. Unfortunately, postpartum depression and its determinants often go undiagnosed or untreated, leading to inadequate documentation of its impacts. A descriptive cross-sectional study design was employed, involving 257 women aged 18-49 years with infants aged 6-14 weeks postpartum. Participants were randomly selected using a simple random sampling method. Data was collected using a modified version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) translated to Swahili. Descriptive analysis, Chi-squared analysis, and odds ratios were used to assess associations between sociodemographic factors, obstetric variables, and postpartum depression. The study found a prevalence of postpartum depression among participants to be 17.5%, with a higher likelihood of postpartum depression among mothers who were; older (aged 31-49 years) (68.9%), married (77.8%), with higher education levels (80%), lower income (82.2%), and those not formally employed (82.2%). Obstetric factors such as parity of greater than two (53.3%), unplanned pregnancy (53.3%) preference for male infants (62.2%) with having had unresolved issues (p-value < 0.01) in the past month and a parity of greater than two (p-value<0.05) were found to be significantly associated with higher odds of PPD. The prevalence of maternal postpartum depression among mothers 6-14 weeks postpartum at Eldoret West maternity Hospital, Uasin Gishu County was found to be 17.5%. Several sociodemographic and obstetric factors are linked and predispose women to PPD. Based on the conclusions, we recommend early intervention and support for young mothers, prenatal and postnatal complication screening, mental health education, and awareness.