Depression and its associated factors among pregnant women in central Vietnam

Bao-Yen Luong-Thanh; Lan Hoang Nguyen; Linda Murray; Manuel Eisner; Sara Valdebenito; Tuyen Dinh Hoang; Huyen Phuc Do; Thang Van Vo

doi:10.1177/2055102920988445

Depression and its associated factors among pregnant women in central Vietnam

Health Psychol Open. 2021 Jan 25;8(1):2055102920988445. doi: 10.1177/2055102920988445. eCollection 2021 Jan-Jun.

Authors

Bao-Yen Luong-Thanh¹, Lan Hoang Nguyen¹, Linda Murray², Manuel Eisner³, Sara Valdebenito³, Tuyen Dinh Hoang¹, Huyen Phuc Do⁴, Thang Van Vo¹

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Public Health and Institute for Community Health Research, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University, Vietnam.
² College of Health Sciences, Massey University, New Zealand.
³ Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
⁴ School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia.

Abstract

To date, little attention has been given to prenatal depression, especially in low and middle-income countries. The aim of this research was to assess the prevalence of depression and its associated factors amongst pregnant women in a central Vietnamese city. This cross-sectional study included 150 pregnant women from 29 to 40 weeks of gestation, from eight wards of Hue city, via quota sampling from February to May 2019. We employed the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) to assess depression. Findings suggest the need to provide routine screening of pregnant women in primary care for depressive symptoms and other mental health problems.

Keywords: depression; mental Illness; pregnancy; wellbeing; women’s health.