Women's awareness of postpartum depression and attitude towards the introduction of screening for it in the Russian Federation

Abstract


The aim of the study was to identify the prevalence of postnatal depression (PND) symptoms, awareness of PND and assess the acceptability of PND screening among women in the first year after childbirth.
Materials and methods. An online survey of 360 women over the age of 18 living in Russia with at least one child under 1 year was conducted. The questionnaire included questions about attitudes toward mental and physical symptoms that women with small children may experience, awareness of PND and attitudes toward screening for it, as well as 13 questions from the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and 2 questions from the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2) used for screening Results. Awareness of PND is low: experiencing various symptoms indicating the presence of PND is considered normal by 7% of respondents (it is normal to think that the family would be better off without it) to 72% (it is normal to feel tired all the time). 89% of women (320 people) were not diagnosed with PND either during pregnancy or after childbirth. Despite the fact that 88% (317 people) of respondents believe that seeking help for PND is useful, only 18% (65 people) sought advice. The majority of respondents (281 people, 78%) are ready to undergo screening for PND. 45±5.2% of women scored 12 or more points on the ESPD, which presumably indicates PRD, 13±4.4% scored from 7 to 11 points (pre-threshold state or early stage of development of PRD symptoms). According to the OZP questionnaire, PRD or the pre-threshold stage can be suspected in 73±8.2% of women. A statistically significant connection was found between the presumptive presence of PRD according to the ESPD and such characteristics as age (χ² = 12.45, p = 0.004), social status (χ² = 9.67, p = 0.01), financial situation (χ² = 10.34, p = 0.008). Conclusion. In women, during the first year after childbirth, there is a high prevalence of symptoms presumably indicating PRD. With insufficient awareness of PPD, there is a high willingness to undergo screening for it.


About the authors

Anna А. Fedaka

Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University

Author for correspondence.
Email: annafedaka@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-3680-0790

Russian Federation, Moscow, Russian Federation

Maria V. Avxentyeva

Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University

Email: avksent@yahoo.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-6660-0402

Russian Federation, Moscow, Russian Federation

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