Trends of Postpartum Depression in Iran: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background. Postpartum depression (PPD) is a serious mental health disorder affecting 13% of women in developed communities. The present study reviews available epidemiological publications on PPD-related aspects in Iranian women to help policy makers and health workers to design preventative strategies and further researches. Materials and Methods. A systematic review was constructed based on the computerized literature valid database. The 95% confidence intervals were calculated by random effects models. Metaregression was introduced to explore and explain heterogeneity between studies. Data manipulation and statistical analyses were performed using Stata 11. Results. Overall, 41 studies met the inclusion criteria. The pooled prevalence of PPD in Iran was 25.3% (95% CI: 22.7%–27.9%). Amongst subgroups of unwanted delivery, illiterate, housewives, and having history of depression the prevalence was 43.4% (35.6–51.1), 31.6% (18.1–45.0), 30.7% (25.2–36.3), and 45.2% (35.4–53.1), respectively. Conclusions. Interventions that would specifically target women with a prior history of depression, illiterates, housewives, or women with unwanted pregnancies could be helpful to decrease the prevalence of postpartum depression in Iran.