The Interplay of Traumatic Childbirth, Marital Support, and Mental Health Outcomes in Nursing Mothers in Lagos
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) remains a major but under-recognised public health concern, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Traumatic childbirth experiences and poor marital support have been identified as psychosocial factors influencing maternal mental health.
Objective: To examine the interplay of traumatic childbirth experiences, marital support, and mental health outcomes among nursing mothers in Lagos, Nigeria.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 102 nursing mothers attending postnatal clinics in selected health centres within Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State. Respondents were selected through multistage sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire which incorporated the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Descriptive and inferential statistics, including Chi-square and Pearson's correlation, were used to analyse the data at a 0.05 level of significance.
Results: The prevalence of probable postpartum depression was 27.5%. A significant relationship was found between traumatic childbirth and postpartum depression (χ² = 8.62, p < 0.01), and between marital support and postpartum depression (χ² = 11.43, p < 0.01). Pearson's correlation showed a positive relationship between traumatic childbirth and depressive symptoms (r = 0.411, p < 0.01), and a negative correlation between marital support and depression (r = −0.352, p < 0.01).
Conclusion: Traumatic childbirth significantly increases the risk of postpartum depression, while strong marital support mitigates depressive symptoms among nursing mothers. Integrating psychosocial counselling, spousal involvement, and trauma-informed maternity care into postnatal services is recommended to promote maternal mental health.
Downloads
Article Details
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The Journal is owned, published and copyrighted by the Nigerian Medical Association, River state Branch. The copyright of papers published are vested in the journal and the publisher. In line with our open access policy and the Creative Commons Attribution License policy authors are allowed to share their work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
This is an open access journal which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author.
The use of general descriptive names, trade names, trademarks, and so forth in this publication, even if not specifically identified, does not imply that these names are not protected by the relevant laws and regulations. While the advice and information in this journal are believed to be true and accurate on the date of its going to press, neither the authors, the editors, nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may be made. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein.
TNHJ also supports open access archiving of articles published in the journal after three months of publication. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g, in institutional repositories or on their website) within the stated period, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access). All requests for permission for open access archiving outside this period should be sent to the editor via email to editor@tnhjph.com.
How to Cite
References
1.American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR). 5th ed, text revision. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2022.
2.Adeyemo EO, Oluwole EO, Kanma-Okafor OJ, Izuka OM, Odeyemi KA. Prevalence and correlates of postpartum depression among women in Lagos, Nigeria. Niger Postgrad Med J. 2020;27(4):305–12.
3.Woody CA, Ferrari AJ, Siskind DJ, Whiteford HA, Harris MG. A systematic review and meta-regression of the prevalence and incidence of perinatal depression. J Affect Disord. 2017;219:86-92.
4.Abdollahi F, Zain AM. Risk factors associated with postpartum depression in Malaysian women. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2015;15:111–8
5.Slomian J, Honvo G, Emonts P, Reginster JY, Bruyère O. Consequences of maternal postpartum depression: A systematic review of maternal and infant outcomes. Womens Health. 2019;16:1–15.
6.Shorey S, Chee CYI, Ng ED, Chan YH, Tam WWS, Chong YS. Prevalence and incidence of postpartum depression among healthy mothers: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Psychiatr Res. 2018;104:235-248.
7.Netsi E, Pearson RM, Murray L, Cooper P, Craske MG, Stein A. Association of Persistent and Severe Postnatal Depression With Child Outcomes. JAMA Psychiatry. 2018;75(3):247-253.
8.Onyemaechi C, Afolabi E, Ifeagwazi CM. Social support and depression among postpartum women in southeastern Nigeria. J Psychol Afr. 2017;27(2):161–6.
9.Eke OH, Onyenyirionwu UG. Determinants of postpartum depression among mothers in Enugu, Nigeria. Afr J Psychol Study Soc Issues. 2019;22(2):128–37.
10.World Health Organization. Maternal Mental Health and Child Health Development in Low and Middle-Income Countries: Report of the Meeting Held in Geneva, Switzerland. Geneva: WHO; 2008.
11.Afolayan JA, Obaide A, Adeleke JO, Alabi O. Postpartum depression among nursing mothers: causes, consequences and management strategies. Niger J Med Psychol. 2016;12(2):45–52.
12.Tungchama F, Odinka PC, Nwefoh E, Ugochukwu C, Amadi KU, Ndukuba AC, et al. Attitudes and beliefs about postpartum depression among health workers and women in northern Nigeria. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2017;17(1):123–9.
13.Thompson O, Ajayi I. Prevalence of antenatal depression and associated risk factors among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Abeokuta North Local Government Area, Nigeria. Depress Res Treat. 2016;2016:4518979. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/4518979
14.Jaiyeola BO, Kolawole A, Umar F, Fajonyomi MG. Trauma-informed counselling for mental health of nursing mothers after childbirth trauma in Nigeria. J Prof Couns. 2022;5(1):107–15. Available from: https://jpc.aprocon.org.ng/index.php/jpc/article/view/26
15.Małus A, Szyluk J, Galińska-Skok B, Konarzewska B. Incidence of postpartum depression and couple relationship quality. Psychiatr Pol. 2016;50(6):1135–46. doi:10.12740/PP/61569
16.Dadi AF, Miller ER, Mwanri L. Postnatal depression and its association with adverse infant health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2020;20(1):416.
17.Falah-Hassani K, Shiri R, Vigod S, Dennis CL. Prevalence of postpartum depression among immigrant women: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Psychiatr Res. 2015;70:67-82.
18.European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. Population of Alimosho, Lagos, Nigeria. 2019. Available from: https://www.city-facts.com/alimosho/population
19.Pourhoseingholi MA, Vahedi M, Rahimzadeh M. Sample size calculation in medical studies. Gastroenterol Hepatol Bed Bench. 2013;6(1):14-7.
20.Levis B, Negeri Z, Sun Y, Benedetti A, Thombs BD; DEPRESsion Screening Data (DEPRESSD) EPDS Group. Accuracy of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) for screening to detect major depression among pregnant and postpartum women: systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data. BMJ. 2020;371:m4022.
21.Adewuya AO, Ola BA, Dada AO, Fasoto OO. Validation of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale as a screening tool for depression in late pregnancy among Nigerian women. J Psychosom Obstet Gynaecol. 2006;27(4):267-272. doi: 10.1080/01674820600915478.