PREVALENCE OF DEPRESSION AND ASSOCIATED RISK FACTORS AMONG WOMEN ATTENDING GYNECOLOGY & OBSTETRICS CLINICS IN KARACHI, PAKISTAN.

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of the study was to examine sociodemographic correlates of depression, quality of life and health among women visiting gynecological clinics for varied health care seeking reasons. Methodology: A cross-sectional study based on predesigned questionnaire with Patient Health Questionnaire -9 variables included and surveyed 1000 respondents in an interview. The sessions evaluated each individual for the grades of depression. Results:The results indicated that mild levels of depression are highly prevalent in non-pregnant women with 57.44% while pregnant and menopausal females have a high incidence of severe depression with 7.95%. Age, marital status, health status, stressful life events, and history of comorbid are all significantly associated with the incidence of depression with regard to the context of woman's life. Conclusion:It has been concluded that out of many different sources the major ones among women tend to be aging, parity, antennal period, menopause along with certain comorbid mostly relating to diabetes mellitus. The physiological changes in menstrual patterns and the appearance and persistence of vasomotor symptoms with pregnancy and menopause may have a direct impact on mood and also get further influenced by negative attitudes and societal factors. Strong preventive measures with attempts of treatment and management must be performed in order to aid women from acute phases of stress and across the lifespan.

Perceived Social Support as Predictor of Peripartum Mental Illness in Gilgit, Pakistan

“…While other studies reported contradictory findings, i.e. nonpregnant women reported higher level of moderate (Sonia & Sonia, 2019) and mild depression (Ishtiaq et al, 2017) as compared to pregnant women.…”

“…healthcare community (Ishtiaq et al, 2017). Particularly, initial motherhood years -pregnancy to postpartum -a major transition in women's life, make them highly susceptible to develop psychological disorders like depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder (Hamed & Attiah, 2019).…”

“…The personal and psychological risk factors are: younger age, low self-esteem, low hope, personality traits, family history of peripartum mental illness and general mental illness while social factors consist of low education, low socioeconomic status, and poor social provision (Hamed & Attiah, 2019). In Pakistan researchers have identified a number of risk factors for antenatal depression and anxiety, such as socioeconomic status, domestic violence, husband's employment (Sonia & Sonia, 2019), number of sons and daughters, rural background, history of harassment, and pregnancy and delivery complications (Waqas et al, 2015), illiteracy, history of psychopathology, housewives, rural areas, highly religious, poor, and husband away for job (Irfan & Badar, 2003), age (Ghaffar et al, 2017), marital status, health status, stressful life events (Ishtiaq et al, 2017), and stress (Gul et al, 2017). Rabia et al (2017) found that occupation (working women), domestic violence, difficult relationship with in-laws, and unplanned pregnancy for anxiety while occupation, domestic violence, difficult relationship with in-laws, unplanned pregnancy, unsatisfactory relationship with husband, stressful life events in previous year, and level of education (tertiary education) for depression, but another study inferred that gender inequality, gender preference of fetus, and domestic violence contextualized prenatal anxiety in South Asia (Bright et al, 2018).…”