Abstract
Objective
To evaluate the clinical epidemiological state of women with suspected post partum depression (PPD) in a public maternity hospital in Salvador, state of Bahia, Brazil.
Methods
A cross-sectional research was performed with puerperal patients attended at a public maternity hospital in Salvador, Bahia. Data collection was performed from June to September 2017. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was used as a screening instrument, and, subsequently, women with positive scores answered a questionnaire to identify their clinical and epidemiological status.
Results
Out of 151 postpartum women from the research, 30 (19.8%) presented suspicion of PPD. There was a prevalence of single mothers 13 (43.3%), women with complete fundamental education 15 (50.0%), women with black skin color 14 (46.7%), and those with a monthly family income of up to one minimum wage 18 (40.0%).
Conclusion
Although PPD is an underdiagnosed disease, a high prevalence of the condition was found in our research. It is, then, considered that these results reinforce its significance as a public health problem, requiring prevention strategies, early diagnosis and effective treatment.
Keywords:
postpartum depression; clinical profile; epidemiological profile; prevalence; risk factors
