Determination of the Prevalence of Postpartum Depression and Risk Factors Among Postpartum Patients at a Tertiary Government Urban Hospital Using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale-Filipino Translation (EPDS-F): A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Postpartum depression (PPD) occurs in 10-15% of deliveries worldwide. Unfortunately there is a dearth of local studies on its exact prevalence.    Method This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of and risk factors for PPD among postpartum patients at a tertiary government hospital using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale-Filipino Translation (EPDS-F), a 10-point questionnaire translated into Filipino and previously validated. Four hundred patients within 8 weeks postpartum were recruited and their EPDS-F scores and sociodemographic, medical and personal history, and delivery and perinatal outcome data were obtained.    Results The overall prevalence of PPD was 14.5%, which is within the known worldwide prevalence. Among those that had family incomes below PhP10,000, the proportion that had high EPDS-F scores was 68.8%, while those that had low EPDS-F scores was 48.8% (significant at p=0.001). Among those that finished below tertiary education, the proportion that had high EPDS-F scores was 81%, while those that had low EPDS-F scores was 59.9% (significant at p=0.002). Among those who delivered vaginally, 62.1% had high EPDS-F scores vs 44.2% low EPDS-F (p=0.03). Of those that had epidural anesthesia (106 or 26.5%), 44.8% had high EPDS scores and 26.0% had low EPDS-F scores (p=0.04). Regression analysis showed that having an abdominal delivery is correlated with a lower EPDS-F score by 0.87% by logistic regression and 0.46 % by probit regression. Having a higher educational attainment and monthly income are associated with a lower EPDS-F score by regression analysis.    Conclusions The prevalence may be skewed because a tertiary government institution caters to delicate pregnancies and those in low socioeconomic brackets. It may be worthwhile to compare responses from a public versus a private institution, also urban versus rural areas. It would be interesting also to evaluate the mode of delivery variable and how exactly it correlates with the development of postpartum depression.