PREVALÊNCIA E FATORES DE RISCO RELACIONADOS A DEPRESSÃO PÓSPARTO EM SALVADOR

Abstract

Depression is a major public health problem in Brazil. It affects approximately5% of the general population, with higher prevalence among women. During the puerperium period may occur mood changes, which are called: Maternal Sadness, Postpartum Depression and Maternal Psychosis. The differences between them are the duration and severity of symptoms. The Postpartum Depression has a prevalence of 10 to 15% and is characterized as a set of symptoms that begin between the fourth and eighth postpartum week. Less than 25% of the affected mothers have access to treatment, and only 50% of the postpartum depression cases are diagnosed in daily clinical practice. Objective: To calculate the prevalence of Postpartum Depression in women followed-up in the Childcare Clinic of Martagão Gesteira Hospital in the period of june 2012. Methodology: The mothers who met the inclusion criteria and agreed to participate were selected for the study. It was applied a socioeconomic questionnaire in order to evaluate the women’s profile related to: family income, marital status, family support, number of children, number of pregnancies, number of living children, number of abortions, the use of psychoactive drugs and the lenght of relationship with partner. For the screening of depressive symptoms it was used the Edinburgh Scale (EPDS), which is the most used throughout the world. This scale was answered by the selected patients and consists of 10 items, each one with a value of up to 3 points. A score above 10 points classified the patient as depressed. Results: In the sample of 40 women, 7 (17.5%) had scores equal or greater than 10 on the EPDS that characterized the presence of depressive symptoms. The average age of the participants was 27.15 years old (SD = 4.839). There was no statistical significance regarding the association of risk factors such as family income, marital status and length of relationship with the partner. Conclusion: The evidenced high prevalence of postpartum depression reinforces its significance as a public health problem, which requires strategies for prevention and treatment. The monitoring of mothers, especially those with low income, may prevent serious personal and family problems arising from the DPP.