Prevalence and Risk Factors for Postpartum Depression in eThekwini District of KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa

Despite being a global public health issue, postpartum depression (PPD) is comparatively more common in underdeveloped nations, notably those in Sub-Saharan Africa. In South Africa (SA), primary healthcare facilities do not regularly screen for PPD, despite reports that it compromises the health of mothers and children. Finding the prevalence of PPD and its contributing factors in a sample of clinic attendees in a subdistrict of eThekwini, SA was the aim of this study. A sample of 399 women in a health facility participated in a cross-sectional, quantitative study. Information on socio-demographics and obstetric history was gathered using a self-administered questionnaire. Data on depression symptoms were gathered using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Women who gave birth to infants after ten days were asked to complete the (EPDS) questionnaire. A score of 13 out of a possible 30 was the cut-off point for the EPDS. Most of the women (60.9%) had scores of 13 or higher, indicating symptoms of PPD. Mode of delivery was significantly linked to PPD on logistic regression (OR = 2.287, p-value 0.007, 95% CI of 1.25 to 4.16), with Caesarean section deliveries being associated with a higher risk of depressed symptoms than normal vaginal delivery. Full-time working women were shown to be protective, as evidenced by their low OR of 0.45 (p = 0.02 and 95% CI of 0.23 to 0.88). The findings support the necessity of routine screening for PPD symptoms in a Primary Health Care facility in SA as they demonstrated the larger percentage of women who suffer from PPD yet go undiagnosed and untreated.