Prevalence and determinants of antenatal depression among women attending primary health care centers in Western Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVES: To measure the prevalence of antenatal depression among pregnant women attending the primary health care (PHC) antenatal care clinics in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and to determine associated factors. METHODS: Following a cross-sectional study design, 320 pregnant women attending the antenatal care clinics in the Ministry of Health PHC Centers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia between January 1st 2017 and February 15th 2017 were interviewed. A self-administered questionnaire used for data collection asked about socio-demographic variables and included the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. RESULTS: The most common contributor was the harming herself (mean±SD, 2.7±0.60). Factors significantly associated with depression among participants were the number of daughters, previous diagnosis of depression, and financial problems. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of antepartum depression among pregnant women in Jeddah is 57.5%, and the greatest contributor is the thought of harming herself.