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Prevalence and Factors Affecting Postpartum Depression in Buddhachinaraj Phitsanulok Hospital

Objective: To determine the prevalence and factors affecting postpartum depression in Buddhachinaraj Phitsanulok Hospital.

Material and Methods: The present study was cross-sectional study conducted between October and December 2020 among 260 postpartum women who gave birth at Buddhachinaraj Phitsanulok Hospital. The Thai version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) questionnaire with a cut-off of 11 points was used to measure postpartum depression.

Results: The prevalence of postpartum depression in the present study was 10.4%. Bivariate analysis revealed that gravidity (p=0.015), parity (p=0.011), and gender of the newborn (p=0.038) were associated with postpartum depression. The multivariate analysis suggested that parous women (AOR 3.35, 95% CI 1.11 to 10.14, p=0.033) and male newborns (AOR 2.73, 95% CI 1.13 to 6.60, p=0.026) were significant factors affecting postpartum depression. Thai EPDS scores in the early postpartum period showed a weak correlation with scores in the 6-week postpartum period (r=0.361, p<0.001).

Conclusion: Postpartum depression is underdiagnosed, and all women should be screened for it at 6-week postpartum as part of routine postnatal care. However, screening with Thai EPDS scores in the early postpartum period may not be necessary because scores at 6-week postpartum could not be predicted from early postpartum scores.

Keywords: Postpartum depression; Depression; Perinatal mental illness; Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)