Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among postpartum women in Malaysian population and its associated factors

Introduction: Despite the increased global interest from researchers in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among postpartum women, studies of postpartum PTSD (PP-PTSD) in Malaysia are very limited. Indeed, the prevalence and associated factors of PP-PTSD have received little attention in Malaysia. Objective: This study aims to determine PP-PTSD prevalence in Malaysia and investigate the association between sociodemographic risk factors, depression, and PP-PTSD. Methodology: The research applied a cross-sectional study involving 108 women who consented to answer a set of questionnaires via social media platforms. The sociodemographic risk factors and depressive level were collected through a questionnaire. The questionnaires used to investigate associated factors are the sociodemographic data and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). PP-PTSD symptoms were measured by the validated Malay PTSD Checklist (MPCL-5). Two added questions fit the definition of “traumatic birth” to fulfil criterion A for PTSD. Results: The gross prevalence rate of PP-PTSD was 25.9%, and the sole prevalence of PTSD without depression was 4.6%. In this study, a multiple logistic regression failed to predict the risk factors for PP-PTSD symptoms. PTSD has a modest association with depression as the correlation coefficient is 0.613 and the significance level of 0.000, indicating that the relationship is highly significant. Conclusion: This study addressed some gaps in the literature and provided a better understanding of PP-PTSD in Malaysia, contributing to early detection and intervention. Attention should be paid to all postpartum women, especially those most susceptible to PP-PTSD, including those with depression.