Antenatal depression and its associated factors among women of Godawari Municipality, Lalitpur, Nepal: a cross-sectional study

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of antenatal depression and identify its associated factors among pregnant women of Godawari Municipality, Lalitpur, Nepal.

Design: Community-based cross-sectional study.

Setting: Godawari Municipality, Lalitpur, Nepal, between September and November 2021.

Participants: 250 randomly selected pregnant women of Godawari Municipality, Lalitpur, Nepal.

Main outcome measures: The level of antenatal depression was assessed using Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. χ² test and multivariate logistic regression analysis were applied to determine the association between antenatal depression and related variables at 95% level of confidence.

Results: The prevalence of antenatal depression was found to be 24.8% (95% CI: 19.2 to 30.7). Multigravida (AOR: 2.219, 95% CI: 1.113 to 4.423), unintended pregnancy (AOR: 2.547, 95% CI: 1.204 to 5.388), male sex preference of child by family (AOR: 2.531, 95% CI: 1.204 to 5.321) and intimate partner violence (AOR: 2.276, 95% CI: 1.116 to 4.640) were found to be the positive predictors of antenatal depression.

Conclusion: This study showed a high prevalence of depression among pregnant women. The results suggest a need for mental health assessment during pregnancy. Screening for depression should be part of routine antenatal checkups for early detection and management of mental health concerns during this vulnerable period.