Conference abstract
Lived experiences of mothers with postpartum depression in rural Tanzania
Pan African Medical Journal - Conference Proceedings. 2024:21(64).29
Apr 2024.
doi: 10.11604/pamj-cp.2024.21.64.2395
Archived on: 29 Apr 2024
Contact the corresponding author
Keywords: Postpartum depression, lived experiences, Tanzania
Oral presentation
Lived experiences of mothers with postpartum depression in rural Tanzania
Rehema K. Rajab1,2,&, Fahad S. Mwakalebela1,2, Getrude Joseph Mollel1, Josephine Mkunda2, Marceline Finda1
1Ifakara Health Institute, Ifakara, Tanzania, 2The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania
&Corresponding author
Introduction: postpartum depression (PPD) is a clinical depression affecting women after childbirth. Globally, it occurs in 15% to 20% of all mothers annually. In Tanzania, little has been done to understand severity and factors associated to PPD, most of the efforts have been directed to reducing mortality among mothers. There is limited clarity on the levels of awareness and understanding among healthcare workers and community members. Findings will be useful in designing policies and appropriate interventions among government, concerned institutions and key stakeholders.
Methods: a phenomenological research design was used to conduct 10 in-depth unstructured interviews purposively with mothers of young children below 24 weeks who had experienced PPD. Interviews were conducted in the mothers’ homes, communities and while seeking healthcare services. Transcriptions of the interviews were analyzed using the NVivo software.
Results: majority were not aware of PPD. Experiences showed majority of the mothers wanting or attempting to commit suicide, abortion, and abandoning or harming their babies. Common reasons that lead to their depression included poor relationship quality, difficult livelihoods, unplanned pregnancies, forced marriage, and young age. Mothers emphasized on the need to raise awareness of PPD as a health issue, and make potential solutions available.
Conclusion: PPD is a common but unknown public health concern. There is a need to raise awareness about PPD in the community, and build more capacity to the health care workers in identifying and managing PPD cases. Further studies should be carried out in other parts of Tanzania to determine the trend of results.
Lived experiences of mothers with postpartum depression in rural Tanzania
Rehema K. Rajab1,2,&, Fahad S. Mwakalebela1,2, Getrude Joseph Mollel1, Josephine Mkunda2, Marceline Finda1
1Ifakara Health Institute, Ifakara, Tanzania, 2The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania
&Corresponding author
Introduction: postpartum depression (PPD) is a clinical depression affecting women after childbirth. Globally, it occurs in 15% to 20% of all mothers annually. In Tanzania, little has been done to understand severity and factors associated to PPD, most of the efforts have been directed to reducing mortality among mothers. There is limited clarity on the levels of awareness and understanding among healthcare workers and community members. Findings will be useful in designing policies and appropriate interventions among government, concerned institutions and key stakeholders.
Methods: a phenomenological research design was used to conduct 10 in-depth unstructured interviews purposively with mothers of young children below 24 weeks who had experienced PPD. Interviews were conducted in the mothers’ homes, communities and while seeking healthcare services. Transcriptions of the interviews were analyzed using the NVivo software.
Results: majority were not aware of PPD. Experiences showed majority of the mothers wanting or attempting to commit suicide, abortion, and abandoning or harming their babies. Common reasons that lead to their depression included poor relationship quality, difficult livelihoods, unplanned pregnancies, forced marriage, and young age. Mothers emphasized on the need to raise awareness of PPD as a health issue, and make potential solutions available.
Conclusion: PPD is a common but unknown public health concern. There is a need to raise awareness about PPD in the community, and build more capacity to the health care workers in identifying and managing PPD cases. Further studies should be carried out in other parts of Tanzania to determine the trend of results.
