Contributory Factors and Clinical Manifestations of Post Natal Depressive Illness in Women
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51253/pafmj.v76iSUPPL-6.13860Keywords:
Depression, Edinburgh mental health scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Postpartum depressionAbstract
Objective: To determine frequency, severity and related socio-demographic and clinical variables of postpartum depression (PPD) using validated screening tools in postpartum women.
Study Design: Cross-sectional Study.
Place and Duration of Study: Pak Emirates Military Hospital Rawalpindi, Pakistan from Jul 2024 to Jul 2025
Methodology: This cross-sectional analytical study enrolled 2,000 postpartum women presenting for routine follow-up visits between 6 to 10 weeks to 1 year after delivery at a tertiary care hospital in Rawalpindi. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) as the primary screening tool, with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) administered concurrently to capture the broader burden of comorbid depression and anxiety.
Results: Using a validated screening threshold of EPDS ≥13, one in three women (33.8%) screened positive for clinically significant postpartum depressive symptoms. Concurrent administration of the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 corroborated these findings, with 29.5% of participants meeting the threshold for moderate-to-severe depression and 26.7% falling within the clinically significant range for anxiety. Multivariate logistic regression identified inadequate social support, a prior history of psychiatric illness, and obstetric complications as the strongest independent predictors of PPD.
Conclusion: This research found that almost 1/3 of postpartum women had met clinically significant depressive symptoms, which is greater than the prevalence found in high-income nations.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Naima Komal, Samina Rehan Khan, Sadaf Zohra, Qurat-u-lain Aslam, Rabia Mohsin, Hafsa Abdul Waris, Amera Tariq
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