Prevalence of Postnatal Depression and Associated Factors Among Hiv-Positive Women in Primary Care in Nkangala District, South Africa (Original Article) (Report‪)‬

Postnatal depression is the most frequently recognised mental disorder after delivery and generally begins within 4-6 weeks after childbirth. (1) The symptoms include low mood, tiredness, insomnia, lack of energy, forgetfulness, irritability and poor functioning. The occurrence of depressive illness after childbirth can be detrimental to the mother, her marital relationship and her children and can have adverse long-term effects if not treated. (2) In addition, maternal postpartum depression poses significant risks for mother-child interaction and long-term infant outcomes. (2) Although the prevalence of postpartum depression in South Africa is high (34.7%), there are few studies on the prevalence of postnatal depression among HIV-infected women. (3) The postpartum period is a time in which women are more vulnerable to depressive symptoms, (4) but most studies have only focused on depressive symptoms in HIV-positive individuals in general. In a study conducted in an urban setting in South Africa, maternal postpartum depression was measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) among 83 HIV-infected mother infant dyads and 42.2% of the women scored above the cut-off point for depression. (5) HIV-infected mothers are at high risk for a range of emotional and psychiatric problems that may impact on immunity and HIV disease progression. (4,6-8)