An investigation of the prevalence of depression and related factors in pregnant women living in the province of Erzurum

Abstract

Objective. Pregnancy is a time of numerous biological and psychosocial changes in women. The purpose of this study was to reveal the risk of depression, an important psychological problem, in pregnant women, and its association with sociodemographic characteristics. Methods. This descriptive, cross-sectional study was performed between March 1 and May 31, 2015, with pregnant women registered at family health centers in the central districts of Aziziye, Palandöken and Yakutiye in the province of Erzurum. A sociodemographic and obstetric data form and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were used for analysis. Results. Subjects’ mean age was 27.54 ± 6.2 years. Their mean BDI score was 16.09 ± 3.7. The mean BDI score of pregnant women in the first trimester was 16.3 ± 3.7, the mean score of those in the second trimester was 15.8 ± 4.2, and the mean score of those in the third trimester was 16.1 ± 2.5. There was a significant difference between trimesters in terms of risk of depression (p = 0.006). Significant associations were determined between the risk of depression and education level, number of pregnancies, and number of living children (p ˂ 0.05). The logistic regression analysis results show that a pregnant woman’s level of education, length of marriage, number of pregnancies and previous mental state are significant in terms of antenatal depression (p < 0.05). Conclusions. There was a significant risk of depression according to the BDI in women in the first and third trimesters, and this was associated with several sociodemographic variables. This reveals the need for pregnant women to also be evaluated using a holistic approach involving mental state as well as sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics when undergoing medical evaluation.