Abstract:
Background: Antenatal depression is the most prevalent mental illness that affects both the mother and the fetus. It is a global public health problem due to its severity, chronic nature, recurrence, and negative impact on the general health of women and the development of children. However, there were inconsistent findings on the magnitude of antenatal depression since different studies used different assessment tools to measure depression during pregnancy.
Objective: To assess the magnitude of antenatal depression and its associated factors among pregnant women who were attending antenatal care at public health facilities in Chelia district, west Shoa, Oromia, Ethiopia, in 2023.
Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among women attending antenatal care in Chelia district from February 25 to March 25. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select 333 respondents. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. The Edinburgh postnatal depression scale was used to measure antenatal depression. Data were entered into Epi-data and then exported to SPSS version 26 for analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to show magnitude of antenatal depression. Bivariable binary logistic regression analysis was computed and variables with p-value < 0.25 were considered as a candidate for multivariable binary logistic regression. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals were estimated to identify association. Statistical significance was declared at a p-value of <0.05.
Result: The magnitude of antenatal depression was 30.9% (95% CI: 26.01–36.2); contraceptive use (AOR 3.4, CI: 1.76–6.18), lowest wealth index (AOR 3.17, CI: 1.49–6.77), unplanned pregnancy (AOR 8.22, CI: 3.09–21.90), stillbirth (AOR 2.51, CI: 1.15–5.50), intimate partner violence (AOR 3.2, CI;1.74-5.89), primigravida(AOR2.77,CI;1.48-5.20), previous history of depression (AOR 5.29, CI;2.41–11.63), and low social support (AOR 5.2, CI:1.41–19.46) were factors associated with antenatal depression.
Conclusion and recommendations: In the current study, the magnitude of antenatal depression was high. Contraceptive use, lowest wealth index, unplanned pregnancy, stillbirth, intimate partner violence, being primigravida, previous history of depression, and low social support were associated with antenatal depression. To decrease the magnitude of antenatal depression, concerned bodies should focus on early screening, health education, and the integration of services
