Prevalence of depression among pregnant women with hyperemesis gravidarum inThi-Qar maternity hospitals, 2016

Abstract EN

Background : Globally, depression is considered as the first leading cause of disease burden in women at child bearing age (15-44year).

Nationally, scarce information was published regarding the prevalence of depression in pregnant women with hyperemesis gravidarum.

Objectives: This study was carried out to measure the prevalence of depression among pregnant women with hyperemesis gravidarum in Thi-Qar Maternity hospitals.

Materials and methods : A hospital based cross sectional study was carried out in two teaching hospitals in Thi-Qar Maternity hospitals from first of Sep 2015 to 31st of Jul 2016.

All pregnant women who were suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, and attended the obstetric outpatients in these two hospitals were included.

Based on assumed prevalence of depression among pregnant women in a previous study in Iraq was (37.2%), so the needed sample size to calculate such prevalence with precision of 5%, confidence level of 95%, and added extra sample of 10%, was almost equal to 322.

Women data were collected by using Arabic version of Beck depression inventory-II and specialized questionnaire which was designed for the purpose of the study.

Depression considered when patients had Beck depression inventory-II score of > 20.

Results: this study showed that prevalence rate of depression among pregnant women with hyperemesis gravidarum was 37.1%.

This rate was significantly affected by increased gestational age (P = 0.003), high socioeconomic status (P = 0.009), previous history of hyperemesis (P = 0.03), unwanted pregnancy (P = 0.03), and increased gravidity (P = 0.03).

Conclusions: one-third of pregnant women with hyperemesis gravidarum in Thi-Qar Maternity hospitals had depression.

It is recommended to reinforce mental health care of pregnant women through the antenatal care services at primary health care level, with strengthening the mental and social rehabilitation method that were used for diagnosed women with depression.