Perinatal depression and its associated risk factors during the COVID-19 pandemic in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Deepanjali Behera; Shweta Bohora; Snehasish Tripathy; Poshan Thapa; Muthusamy Sivakami

doi:10.1007/s00127-024-02628-y

Perinatal depression and its associated risk factors during the COVID-19 pandemic in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2024 Feb 20. doi: 10.1007/s00127-024-02628-y. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Deepanjali Behera¹, Shweta Bohora², Snehasish Tripathy³, Poshan Thapa^#⁴, Muthusamy Sivakami^#⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Public Health, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) Deemed To Be University, Campus-5 (KIMS), Bhubaneswar, 751024, Odisha, India. deepanjali.behera@gmail.com.
² School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
³ Centre for Mental Health, Law and Policy, Indian Law Society, Pune, India.
⁴ School of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Quebec, Canada.
⁵ School of Health Systems Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 38376751
DOI: 10.1007/s00127-024-02628-y

Abstract

Purpose: Perinatal depression significantly impacts maternal and child health, with further complexities arising during the COVID-19 pandemic. This review is the first to comprehensively synthesize evidence on the prevalence of perinatal depression and its associated risk factors in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) during the pandemic period.

Methods: The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022326991). This review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guideline for prevalence studies. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in six databases: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycInfo, CINAHL, and ProQuest. Pooled prevalence estimates were computed for both prenatal and postnatal depression. Identified risk factors were summarized narratively.

Results: A total of 5169 studies were screened, out of which 58 were included in the narrative review and 48 [prenatal (n = 36) and postnatal (n = 17)] were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled depression prevalence for prenatal women was 23% (95% CI: 19-27%), and for the postnatal women was 23% (95% CI: 18-30%). Maternal age, education, perceived fear of COVID-19 infection, week of pregnancy, pregnancy complications, and social and family support were identified as associated risk factors for depression.

Conclusions: Our review demonstrates an increased prevalence of perinatal depression during the COVID-19 pandemic in LMICs. It sheds light on the significant burden faced by pregnant and postnatal women and emphasizes the necessity for targeted interventions during the ongoing and potential future crisis.

Keywords: COVID-19; Low- and middle-income countries; Meta-analysis; Pandemic; Perinatal depression; Systematic review.

Publication types

Review