Prenatal Depressive Symptoms and their Associated Factors among Pregnant Women Attending a Tertiary Hospital in Rivers State, Nigeria

Prenatal depression is a debilitating mental health condition that affects pregnant women globally and ranks as the third most prevalent condition in the world.This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence and determinants of prenatal depressive symptoms among pregnant women at a tertiary hospital in Rivers State, Nigeria.A total of 230 pregnant women aged 15-49 years, who booked in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, had a single gestation, and had no previous or family history of mental health disorders or systemic illness, were recruited using systematic random sampling.Data was collected using a semi-structured, pre-tested, and validated intervieweradministered questionnaire adapted from the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS).The prevalence of antenatal depressive symptoms in this study was 6.5%.Factors associated with prenatal depression were level of education, religion, ethnicity, and history of miscarriage/abortion/stillbirth (p