A STUDY TO INVESTIGATE THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN MATERNAL ANAEMIA AND GESTATIONAL DIABETES WITH POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION IN URBAN MOTHERS

Dr. Maitreyee Banerjee (Mukherjee), Kuntal Gupta*, Dr. Sanjoy Kr. Bhattacharyya and Papri Biswas

ABSTRACT

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a mood disorder that can affect women after childbirth. Women at higher risk include inner city women, mothers of pre-term infants and adolescent mothers. Children of mothers with peripartum depression are at increased risk for developmental delays and behavioural problems. Factors associated with postpartum depression are psychological factors, biological factors, lifestyle, social factors. With all these so many interplaying factors in the development of PPD among the mothers of new born babies, the present study was undertaken in a Govt. Hospital in Kolkata to find the maternal factors correlated and associated with the occurrence of PPD. Women who delivered between the month of June and August 2018 and are willing to participate in the study were included as the subject. Anthropometric and socioeconomic data were recorded, haematological data were collected from the hospital records. PPD was measured using the Edinburgh postpartum depression scale (EPDS). Blood haemoglobin and glucose level and resting metabolism of the mothers were found to significantly correlated with occurrence of PPD. Difficulty in breast feeding, Hb level, glucose level and Resting Metabolism (Kcal) were identified as the predictors for the EPDS score. Thus, it can be concluded from the present study that maternal conditions such as anaemia and diabetes mellitus should be taken care of during the early postnatal period as a preventive measure against PPD.

Keywords: Postpartum Depression, Anaemia, Diabetes Mellitus, Breastfeeding, Metabolic rate.