Publications
prevalence and determinants of postpartum anxiety among women availing health services at a rural maternity hospital in south India
Christy Maria, Naveen Ramesh, Avita R Johnson, Priya M Prince, Aleena Rodrigues, Anu Lekha, Anju Elias ABSTRACT
Introduction: Anxiety is defined as a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome. Though depression is the leading cause of disability for women worldwide, there is a paucity of literature regarding postpartum anxiety among rural Indian women.
Aims and objectives: To estimate the prevalence of postpartum anxiety and its determinants among women availing health services at a rural maternity hospital in the Ramanagara district of south Karnataka.
Materials and methods: The study included 231 postpartum women from the second day of delivery to 6 months postpartum attending the rural maternity hospital.
Results: Our study consists of 46.7% of women belonging to 20–24 age-group and 76.2% belonging to lower middle/lower class. Prevalence of mild postpartum anxiety was found to be 88.17%, generalized anxiety being 10%, and severe anxiety as 1.3%. There was significant association between postpartum anxiety and depression (p-value = 0.00).
Conclusion: There is a need for screening women for mental ill-health during and after pregnancy. National programs should include these assessments at the primary healthcare level.
