Antepartum Depression among Women Attending Center for Women and Child Health, Ashulia, Savar, Dhaka

A BSTRACT Background: Antepartum depression is a common nonpsychotic emotional disorder occurring during pregnancy. It is a significant public health issue that negatively impacts the well-being of both expectant mothers and their unborn children. Objective: This study aimed to determine the proportion and degrees of antepartum depression (APD) among pregnant women and to identify associated risk factors during the antepartum period attending the Center for Woman and Child Health (CWCH), Savar, Dhaka. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 263 pregnant women receiving antenatal care (ANC) at CWCH. Adult women between 8 and 36 weeks of gestation were selected through a convenience sampling method. The validated Bangla version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used to assess depression levels. Based on PHQ-9 scores, APD was categorized as follows: no or minimal (1–4), mild (5–9), moderate (10–14), moderately severe (15–19), and severe (20–27). Data were analyzed to identify associations between APD and selected variables. Results: The findings revealed that 89% of the participants experienced some level of APD. Of these, 11.1% had minimal symptoms, 49.4% had mild depression, 38.4% experienced moderate depression, and 1.1% showed signs of moderately severe depression. Statistically significant associations were found between APD and several factors, including age, duration of marriage, experience of violence, type of violence, and perpetrator of violence ( P < 0.05). Conclusion: The findings highlight the urgent need to integrate routine mental health assessments and violence screening into ANC services in peri-urban settings to promote better pregnancy outcomes.