Magnitude and Predictors of Antenatal Depression among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Care in Sodo Town, Southern Ethiopia: Facility-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Depression affects approximately 10 to 20% of pregnant women globally, and one in ten and two in five women in developed and developing countries develop depression during pregnancy, respectively. However, evidence regarding its magnitude and predictors in Southern Ethiopia is limited. The present study is aimed at assessing the magnitude and predictors of antenatal depression among pregnant women attending antenatal care in Sodo town.

METHODS: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 403 antenatal care attendants in Sodo town from November 2 to January 30, 2017. Systematic random sampling was used to select the study population, and data were collected by using a pretested and structured questionnaire. Data were entered using Epi-data 4.2 and then exported and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to assess the association between the dependent variable and independent variables. Variables with P value less than 0.05 were considered as statistically significant.

RESULTS: A total of 400 pregnant women were interviewed. The magnitude of antenatal depression was 16.3% (95% CI (12.8%, 19.9%)). Husband's educational status, at the college and above (AOR: 0.09; 95% CI (0.03, 0.34), regular exercise (AOR: 0.16; 95% CI (0.07, 0.36)), planned pregnancy (AOR: 0.16; 95% CI (0.06, 0.44)), use of family planning (AOR: 0.31; 95% CI (0.14, 0.66)), previous history of anxiety (AOR: 2.96; 95% CI (1.30, 6.74)), previous history of obstetric complications (AOR: 19.03; 95% CI (5.89, 61.47)), and current obstetric complications (AOR: 30.38; 95% CI (3.14, 294.19)) were significant predictors of antenatal depression.

CONCLUSION: Nearly one in six pregnant women had antenatal depression. The husband's educational status, regular exercise, planned pregnancy, use of family planning, previous history of anxiety, previous history of obstetric complications, and current history of obstetric complications were significant predictors of antenatal depression. Screening for depression during routine antenatal care could be essential and recommended to identify early and prevent further morbidities and mortalities due to antenatal depression.