Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40987736›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2025

Social support and multifactorial predictors of perinatal depression: insights from a hospital-based cross-sectional survey in Karachi, Pakistan.

Nida Shoaib, Haya Ul Batool Abbasi, Sameera Ali Rizvi, Syeda Tabeena Ali

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Article in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

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2citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Observational
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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Nida ShoaibPublic Health, SZABIST University, Karachi, Pakistan drnidashoaib@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7597-1934
Haya Ul Batool AbbasiPublic Health, SZABIST University, Karachi, Pakistan.
Sameera Ali RizviPublic Health, SZABIST University, Karachi, Pakistan.
Syeda Tabeena AliPublic Health, SZABIST University, Karachi, Pakistan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThis study aimed to estimate the frequency of depression in mothers during the antepartum and postpartum periods and identify predictors of perinatal depression in the tertiary care hospital of Karachi, Pakistan.

designAnalytical cross-sectional study.

settingPublic Tertiary Care Hospital, Civil Hospital, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.

participantsThe study involved 262 mothers for the assessment of frequency and predictors of perinatal depression in Pakistan.

main outcome measuresThe Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) was used as the tool to screen for depression. The data were collected through a structured questionnaire encompassing the sociodemographic factors, pregnancy and birth-related information, newborn characteristics sections, family relationship and marital status and psychosocial and psychological history. Mean and SD were computed for continuous data, whereas frequencies and percentages were determined for categorical data. Pearson χ

resultsOut of 262 enrolled mothers, 198 screened positive for depressive symptoms using EPDS with a cut-off value ≥10. The mean age of participating mothers was 27.4±5.95 years. Approximately 39.7% of the mothers were illiterate, 75% were housewives and about 42% had a family income of less than US$126. Women with access to a healthcare facility had higher odds of antepartum depression symptoms, possibly due to poor healthcare experiences during antenatal visits. Emotional support by husband reduces the odds by 45.8% while experiencing abuse increases odds by three times. Significant predictors of postpartum depression symptoms included decision-making power, which reduced the odds of postpartum depression symptoms by 72.5% and emotional support by 80%.

conclusionsThe study concluded that maternal decision-making power is a significant protective factor against postpartum depression. Strikingly, access to health facilities by the mother was associated with higher odds of antepartum depression. Other factors, including household income, husband's employment status, domestic violence, emotional support and family abuse, did not show significant associations with either antepartum or postpartum depression. These findings emphasise the importance of routine screening to identify women at risk during the perinatal period.

Indexed as

DepressionDepression, PostpartumMothersPregnancy ComplicationsSocial SupportAdultCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansLogistic ModelsPakistanPregnancyPsychiatric Status Rating ScalesRisk FactorsSocioeconomic FactorsSurveys and QuestionnairesDepression & mood disordersMENTAL HEALTHPostpartum PeriodSocial Support

Identifiers

PMID40987736
PMCPMC12458830

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.