The expression of perinatal depression in rural Ghana

Pamela Scorza, Seth Owusu-Agyei, Emmanuel Asampong, Milton L. Wainberg

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In low- and middle-income countries, perinatal depression (PND) has been associated with poor infant health outcomes, including frequency of infant diarrheal episodes, preterm delivery and low birth weight, and discontinuation or problems breastfeeding. Yet little is known about the awareness or expression of PND depression in Ghana. A total of 12 in-depth key-informant interviews were conducted with women who had experienced PND within the previous two-and-a-half years. Three focus-group discussions were conducted with new mothers (n = 11), grandmothers (n = 8), and fathers (n = 9) for contextual and supporting information. ‘Thinking too much’ was the term most commonly used to describe PND. The women saw their distress as caused largely by poverty, lack of social support, and domestic problems. Women sought help through family and religious organizations, rather than through medical services. Problems producing breast milk or breastfeeding were nearly universal complaints and suggest significant effects on infant health in the study area. These results present evidence to support the increasing consensus that depression presents in similar and disabling ways across cultures and contexts. This formative qualitative data is required to tailor depression prevention or treatment interventions to this particular socio-cultural context.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)370-381
Number of pages12
JournalInternational Journal of Culture and Mental Health
Volume8
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2 Oct 2015

Keywords

  • Ghana
  • depression
  • maternal health
  • perinatal depression
  • post-partum depression

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