Antenatal depression and its risk factors: An urban prevalence study in KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract

Of the participants, 149 (38.5%) suffered from depression and 38.3% had thought of harming themselves in the preceding 7 days. Risk factors for depression included HIV seropositivity (p=0.02), a prior history of depression (p=0.02), recent thoughts of self-harm (p<0.000), single marital status (p=0.04) and unplanned pregnancy (p=0.01). CONCLUSION; The high prevalence of antenatal depressive symptoms and thoughts of deliberate self-harm supports a policy of routine screening for antenatal depression in South Africa, especially in HIV-seropositive women.