Prevalence and Coping Mechanisms of Postpartum Depression among Mothers of Infants in Ibadan North-East Local Government Area, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Postpartum depression (PPD) is associated with child birth; affecting both the mother and the child severely. PPD is one of the least addressed type of depression among mothers of in. This study was designed to assess the prevalence and coping mechanisms of PPD among mothers of infants in Ibadan North-East Local Government Area, Oyo State, Nigeria. This study was a descriptive cross-sectional study utilizing multi-stage sampling technique using a pre-tested semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire on three hundred and twenty respondents.  The mean age of respondents was 30.9±6.5years, 91.6% were married and the highest educational level was Secondary school, 83.3% were in a monogamous marriage. Prevalence of PPD among the study participants was 33.7% out of which 90.8% of them used religion 29.6% adopted substances as coping mechanism. Marital status, education, type of marriage and religion were significantly associated with PPD with P<0.001.  There is a high prevalence of postpartum depression in the study area.   Hence, Psycho-social interventions such as home visitation by health care givers should be initiated for mothers who screened positive under maternal welfare programme.