Postpartum depression prevalence and related factors among Somali woman living in Mogadishu, Somalia

ALI, S (2024). PREVALENCE OF POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION PREVALENCE AND RELATED FACTORS AMONG SOMALI WOMAN LIVING IN MOGADISHU, SOMALIA. YEDITEPE UNIVERSITY, INSTITUTE OF HEALTH SCIENCE, DEPRTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH, MASTER OF SCIENCE THESIS, ISTANBUL. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence postpartum depression (PPD) among and its Somali women in Mogadishu, Somalia. The approval of the ethical committee of Somalia's Ministry of Health and permission of the Benadir and Madina Hospitals Directorates were obtained before the research was conducted. This study was Convenience sampling method in nature. The sample of the study initially consisted of 250 women between the age of 15-49 years of age and Most of the participants fall in the 15-24 age group (55.2%), followed by 25-34 (39.6%) and 35-49 (5.2%) who gave birth within a year and attended Benadir in Mogadishu, Somalia in the 2022-2023 year and gave the consent to be part of the study. Data were collected by using two questionnaire that consists of relevant questions of Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). The first questionnaire consists of 10 questions. It is a screening tool that aims to identify women who experiencing depressive symptoms and to see the prevalence of postpartum depression and a structured questionnaire which includes the sociodemographic characteristics, socio-cultural, psychological and reproductive which consist of 35 questions to see the related factors associated with postpartum depression indoor and outdoor places. The study's data were assessed using the SPSS 26.0 package Programme. There were descriptive tests utilized, as well as tests of association. According to the study's findings, 14.4% of participants scored above 12 on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), indicating PPD prevalence. Sociodemographic factors significantly associated with PPD included employment status), marital status, lack of social support, and history of physical or verbal abuse. Furthermore, factors related to reproductive health such as type of female circumcision, lack of care from health personnel during pregnancy, history of miscarriage, baby being in the intensive care unit, weeks of gestation, and birth weight also showed significant associations with increased PPD risk. Psychological factors like recent loss of a first-degree relative, previous depressive symptoms. These factors were found to contribute significantly to PPD risk. . Overall, the study emphasizes the varied nature of factors that contribute to PPD among Somali women in Mogadishu. Addressing these factors—which range from sociodemographic obstacles to reproductive health issues and psychological vulnerabilities—is critical for effective interventions aiming at lowering the prevalence of PPD in this population. The findings underline the importance of personalized support systems, increased healthcare access, and culturally appropriate mental health services in Somali communities to reduce the burden of PPD and improve maternal well-being. Keywords: Postpartum depression (PPD), Prevalence, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Sociodemographic factors, Female circumcision