ArticleBMC psychiatry2017
Antenatal depressive symptoms and perinatal complications: a prospective study in rural Ethiopia.
Article in BMC psychiatry, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
37 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Prevalence of perinatal depression in Ethiopia: An umbrella review of systematic review and meta-analysis studies.PloS one · 2026Pooled it
- Screening tools for maternal mental health in Africa: a systematic review.Frontiers in global women's health · 2026Pooled it
- Depression and antidepressant use in pregnancy and adverse maternal and offspring outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Molecular psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- The epidemiology of maternal mental health in Africa: a systematic review.Archives of women's mental health · 2025Pooled it
- Perinatal depression and associated factors in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC psychiatry · 2024Pooled it
- Quality of Life in Mothers With Perinatal Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Pooled it
- Epidemiology of antenatal depression in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2020Pooled it
- Trial
- Article
- Depression, anxiety, and stress across the perinatal period: longitudinal trends and associations with adverse outcomes : Article Type: Original Paper.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- Article
- Postnatal Common Mental Disorders and Their Predictors in Northwest Ethiopia: A Community-Based Cohort Study.Depression and anxiety · 2026Article
- Identification of psychosocial problems in routine antenatal care in Ethiopia: A facility-based cross-sectional study.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2026Article
- Anxiety symptoms during pregnancy and risk of adverse birth outcomes in Gondar Town Ethiopia.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Brief problem-solving therapy (PST) for women experiencing antenatal depressive symptoms: a randomised, controlled feasibility trial in (an) antenatal care setting in rural Ethiopia.Pilot and feasibility studies · 2025Article
- Article
- Factors associated with antenatal depression among women attending antenatal care at Mubende Regional Referral Hospital: a cross-sectional study.BMC women's health · 2024Article
- A comparative study of antenatal depression among urban and rural pregnant women in Gimbi District, Oromia, Ethiopia.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Problem-solving therapy for pregnant women experiencing depressive symptoms and intimate partner violence: A randomised, controlled feasibility trial in rural Ethiopia.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
- Stress and resilience during pregnancy: A comparative study between pregnant and non-pregnant women in Ethiopia.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
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5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAntenatal depressive symptoms affect around 12.3% of women in in low and middle income countries (LMICs) and data are accumulating about associations with adverse outcomes for mother and child. Studies from rural, low-income country community samples are limited. This paper aims to investigate whether antenatal depressive symptoms predict perinatal complications in a rural Ethiopia setting.
methodsA population-based prospective study was conducted in Sodo district, southern Ethiopia. A total of 1240 women recruited in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy were followed up until 4 to 12 weeks postpartum. Antenatal depressive symptoms were assessed using a locally validated version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) that at a cut-off score of five or more indicates probable depression. Self-report of perinatal complications, categorised as maternal and neonatal were collected by using structured interviewer administered questionnaires at a median of eight weeks post-partum. Multivariate analysis was conducted to examine the association between antenatal depressive symptoms and self-reported perinatal complications.
resultA total of 28.7% of women had antenatal depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 score ≥ 5). Women with antenatal depressive symptoms had more than twice the odds of self-reported complications in pregnancy (OR=2.44, 95% CI: 1.84, 3.23), labour (OR= 1.84 95% CI: 1.34, 2.53) and the postpartum period (OR=1.70, 95% CI: 1.23, 2.35) compared to women without these symptoms. There was no association between antenatal depressive symptoms and pregnancy loss or neonatal death.
conclusionAntenatal depressive symptoms are associated prospectively with self-reports of perinatal complications. Further research is necessary to further confirm these findings in a rural and poor context using objective measures of complications and investigating whether early detection and treatment of depressive symptoms reduces these complications.
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