Characteristics of mothers at risk for perinatal depression in industrial areas

Abstract

Expectant mothers susceptible to emotional shifts during pregnancy, such as depression, underwent a perinatal phase. Within the first year after giving birth, 10-15% of women experienced specific depressive symptoms. This situation could harm the mother-child relationship. The purpose of this study was to characterize the traits of mothers who might have experienced prenatal depression at Muhammadiyah Gresik Hospital. Purposive sampling and Spearman's rank test analytics were applied to pregnant women between 20 weeks gestation and one month postpartum. Pregnant women with a history of acute medical problems and mental or psychological disorders were excluded. Out of 47 respondents, 59.6% were at risk of perinatal depression. The characteristics studied included religion, ethnicity, maternal age, educational level, employment status, family income, number of children, mode of delivery, complications during delivery, and depression history. Maternal age (r=-0.314, p=0.032*), employment status (r=0.346, p=0.016*), parity (r=-0.410, p=0.004*), and most recent delivery (r=-0.329, p=0.024*) showed significant correlations with the likelihood of perinatal depression. Maternal age, parity, and mode of delivery had negative correlations, while employment status had a positive correlation. The results of this study can be used as screening tools to identify mothers at risk of perinatal depression. Additionally, it proposes a prenatal and delivery counseling intervention program for both expectant mothers and unemployed women.