Antenatal depression and associated factors in primigravid and multigravid women

Original title: Prevalencia de depresión antenatal y factores asociados en embarazo primigesto y multigesto

Introduction: The phenomena of prenatal depression suffers from a dearth of research interest, being relatively unstudied, and rarely diagnosed or treated. Nonetheless, the consequences for both pregnant mother and fetus can be serious in the absence of diagnosis and appropriate, timely treatment.
Objective: To collect demographic data of the prevalence of prenatal depression in the Monterrey metropolitan area and study its relation with prior pregnancies, perceived social support, self-esteem, and anxiety.
Methodology and Instruments: This qualitative study employs a cross-sectional research design, collecting correlative and comparative data on 174 pregnant women.
Results: In the data we obtained, prenatal depression occurs at a prevalence of 11.62% and anxiety symptomatology in 16.86%, with 8.1% reporting scarce perceived social support and 5.8% low self-esteem. Intergroup differences were found between women with multiple pregnancies and those in their first pregnancy who presented higher levels of anxiety. 67.8% of the variance of antenatal depression was explained by two factors: self-esteem and anxiety.