Occurrence of Depressive Symptoms in Pregnant Women in the Last Trimester

Abstract Pregnancy represents hormonal and metabolic adaptations of the female organism and is a normal physiological and emotional condition, even though it is a complex phenomenon that can trigger significant psychological changes and a series of depressive behavioral responses. There are no studies dealing with factors that influence depression in pregnant women in the Central Balkan countries. This study attempts to explore a general medical and psychosocial model of mechanisms that influence the emergence of depressive symptoms in the second and third trimester of pregnancy in Serbia and Montenegro. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in Clinics for gynecology and obstetrics of the University Clinical Center Kragujevac (UCCK), Serbia as well as in Clinics for gynecology and obstetrics of the Clinical Center of Montenegro (KCCG). The research involved a single application of Edinburgh scales for postpartum depression (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)), and sociodemographic questionnaire constructed for the purposes of this research. Questionnaires were filled out in the period from the 27 until 40 week of gestation. Our study included 262 patients in the third trimester of pregnancy. The mean age of our sample was 31.61(±5.41). The median of gestation weeks was 38 and according to our results, 70 patients (26%) exhibited depressive symptoms. Physiscal activity as well as salary above 150000 RSD has negative effect on depression level. On the other hand fear od delivery has positive effect on depression level. Conclusion This study showed the significance of mental health awareness in third trimester of pregnancy and the complex interactions of external and internal factors which contribute to depressive mood in pregnant women. It is of great importance to notice that the prevalence of depressive mood was relatively high in our sample, even though a vast majority of pregnant women did not experience any mental health concerns before pregnancy. Our proposition is to develop prevention strategies to lower the incidence of antenatal depression and enable full mental and physical safety pre and post-partum.