ABSTRACT
Background: Depression is common among women, specially during breeding. Aim: To characterize post-partum depression in a group of women attending a primary health care clinic and its relationship to quality of life. Material and methods: The sample included women meeting criteria for Major Depression, with a child of up to 11 months old. Exclusion criteria included the presence of psychosis, history of mania, alcohol abuse, illegal drug use, high suicide risk, and receiving mental health care in the last three months. Structured interviews used were the Edinburgh postpartum depression scale (EPDS), Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), Medical Outcomes Study Questionnaire (SF-36) and questions about incapacity and health care use. Results: The sample included 159 women with a median age of 27 years (range: 16-43 years). Thirty three percent were married, 30.8% lived in common law marriage, 9.4% were divorced, and 26.4% were single. Most (89.3%) were housewives, 31% were students, and 6.9% were employed. The average score on the EPDS was 17 points (S.D. 4.2). The average SF-36 somatic score was 42.7 points (S.D. 8.2), and the emotional score was 30.3 (D.S. 0.3). The relation between the average score on the EPDS and the somatic and emotional scores was statistically significant (p=0.000-0.006). Conclusions: Most women were mildly to moderately depressed. Their depression was associated with a marked impairment of activities of daily living. These findings add to the evidence suggesting that depression is associated with marked disability cultures, even when the depression is mild to moderate.
Subject(s)
Adult , Female , Humans , Infant , Pregnancy , Depression, Postpartum/psychology , Depressive Disorder, Major/psychology , Quality of Life/psychology , Depression, Postpartum/diagnosis , Depressive Disorder, Major/diagnosis , Disability Evaluation , Health Status Indicators , Interview, Psychological , Marital Status , Primary Health Care , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , Severity of Illness Index , Time FactorsABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to stimate the prevalence and associated factors to postpartum depression (PPD) in a sample of women attending clinics representative of different socioeconomic levels in Santiago. A total of 542 mothers selected from five health centers filled in the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale which was used as the diagnostic criteria, a score of 10 and above being considered diagnostic of depression. Based in our findings, the prevalence of PPD would be 36,7 percent after adjusting for socioeconomic distribution in Santiago. An inverse relationship was found between socioeconomic status and prevalence of PPD. Mothers with lower incomes had a three-fold increase in prevalence of PPD in comparison to mothers with higher incomes. Single mothers (unmarried, separated and widows) were twice more likely to be cases of PPD
Subject(s)
Humans , Female , Adolescent , Adult , Depression, Postpartum/epidemiology , Puerperal Disorders , Cross-Sectional Studies , Risk Factors , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , Socioeconomic FactorsABSTRACT
El objetivo de este trabajo fue determinar los factores de riesgo asociadso a la depresión en el embarazo y/o el puerperio. Con diversos instrumentos hétero y autoadministrados, los coinvestigadores evaluaron a 108 embarazadas las que, luego, fueron diagnosticadas clínicamente según los Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC), por el investigador principal. Se repitió el mismo procedimiento de 2 a 3 meses después del parto. A la depresión en el embarazo y/o el puerperio se asociaron: a) mayor exposición a acontecimientos vitales, b) consulta previa con especialista por problemas emocionales y c) surgimiento de dificultades económicas graves en el pasado reciente. Separarse de personas significativas en la vida de la mujer, y/o dificultades en la relación con la pareja y/o con la madre son acontecimientos que de asocian de modo muy significativo con la depresión en ambos períodos. Entre las puérperas deprimidas se encontraron asociaciones directamente vinculadas con el parto: (haber dado a luz a una criatura de muy poco peso, o dificultades en la lactancia). Se destacó asimismo una clara asociación entre síntomas de ansiedad y la depresión, tanto durante el embarazo como en el posparto. Se analiza el valor predictivo de estos factores de riesgo y se propone incorporar preguntas referidas a los mismos en las evaluaciones de salud de embarazadas y puérperas
Subject(s)
Humans , Female , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Complications/psychology , Depression/etiology , Postpartum Period/psychology , Chi-Square Distribution , Follow-Up Studies , Life Change Events , Mental Status Schedule , Predictive Value of Tests , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
Se revisan los factores biológicos más importantes en relación a la etiología de los desórdenes depresivos y la evidencia científica en que estos se apoyan. Existe abundante evidencia de la contribución genética en la etiología de estos desórdenes y varias teorías compiten para explicar este mecanismo de transmisión. Por otro lado, la teoría aminérgica original ha derivado en teorías mas complejas de interacción entre sustancias químicas y receptores centrales. Se señalan los factores endocrinológicos asociados con la enfermedad y su posible rol etiológico. Finalmente, se hace breve mención a las teorías que involucran el metabolismo hidroelectrolítico en los desórdenes depresivos