Depression in pregnancy: implications for prenatal screening

To determine the frequency of depression among pregnant women visited at the prenatal clinic, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Material &

This was a cross-sectional study in which by convenience sampling, pregnant women visited at the prenatal clinic during a 2-month period were studied. The instrument for data collection was Beck Depression Inventory, which is a self-administered valid and reliable questionnaire, measuring manifestations of depression. Scores higher than 9 were interpreted as depression.

Of 170 pregnant women, 16.5 percent had experienced depression symptoms before pregnancy, 9.4 percent reported depressive episodes in their relatives, 4.7 percent had suffered from depression during/after previous pregnancies and 8.2 percent had the history of premenstrual depression. 48.2 percent had experienced at least one stressor during the current pregnancy. The mean score on Beck Inventory scale was 11.47 (95%CI= 10.09-12.58). At the time of the study, at least 30.6 percent suffered from depression. Nevertheless, none were under supervision of a heath care professional for management of depression.

The findings suggest that the implementation of strategies to integrate mental health screening in prenatal cares is needed.