Exploring prevalence and factors associated with postpartum depression among Ukrainian women.

Introduction: Postpartum depression negatively impacts maternal mental health and child development. The high prevalence of postpartum depression (PPD) in low and lower middle-income countries raises questions about its predictors. This study examines the association between PPD and breastfeeding experience, child death, unresolved pregnancy, forced displacement, COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, marital, and financial status among Ukrainian women.

Methods: This online study recruited 1634 Ukrainian mothers of children aged 0-5 years through non-governmental organizations providing services to them. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), with a cut-off of ≥13, was used to assess depressive symptoms in the postpartum period. Independent t-tests, chi-squared tests, one-way ANOVA, non-parametric correlations, and logistic regression tests were used to analyze the data.

Results: The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 39.0% (n=1631). There was a positive association between EPDS scores and breastfeeding difficulties, pandemic lockdown, and financial difficulties. We did not find an association between PPD symptoms and unresolved pregnancy, death of a child, being affected by COVID-19, and forced displacement. We found that EPDS scores for women who did not experience forced displacement (n=1528) were significantly higher compared to displaced mothers (n=74).

Conclusions: The present study of Ukrainian women shows that women experienced depressive symptoms influenced by various factors including breastfeeding difficulties, pandemic lockdown, and financial difficulties. There is a need for additional research into such factors as unresolved pregnancy, the death of a child, being affected by COVID-19, and forced displacement.