Odufuwa Oyeteju T, Olaniyan Olanrewaju, Okuonzi Sam A
Department of Economics, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Health Policy Training and Research Programme, Department of Economics, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Front Glob Womens Health. 2022 Jun 29;3:787263. doi: 10.3389/fgwh.2022.787263. eCollection 2022.
The mental healthcare-seeking behavior of postpartum mothers has received little attention in Nigeria. Previous studies in the country have focused on determinants of physical health-seeking behavior, choice of maternal healthcare provider, prevalence, and determinants of maternal mental illness, yet, determinants of maternal mental health-seeking behavior among Nigerian women has been understudied. This study, therefore, examined the determinants of mental health-seeking behavior among postpartum women in Ibadan, Nigeria. Maternal mental illness, which was proxied using postpartum depression, was computed using the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale. Data for the study were obtained through a survey method using a 9-page questionnaire. A 3-stage sampling technique was employed. The first stage was a stratified sampling to disaggregate the health facilities offering postnatal and immunization services on the basis of ownership of public and private healthcare providers. In the second stage, seven healthcare facilities comprising three (3) private and four (4) public healthcare were purposively selected based on the number of attendees. The final stage was a random selection of 390 postpartum mothers attending postnatal and immunization clinics across seven healthcare facilities. The prevalence of depression among the mothers was 20.8%. While only 39.5% of the depressed women sought care, 22.3% of the non-sufferers also sought mental healthcare. This revealed that both sufferers and non-sufferers sought mental healthcare. Also, a higher incidence of postpartum depression among the sufferers increased the likelihood of seeking mental healthcare. Age, family history of postpartum depression, and having the desired gender of child were determinants of mental health-seeking behavior. Among the sufferers of postpartum depression who failed to seek care, a low perceived need for mental healthcare, the perception that the depressive symptoms will go on their own, as well as fear of being stigmatized as a "weak mother", were reasons for not seeking mental healthcare. Thus, to promote mental healthcare, the non-cost factors, like availability and accessibility to a mental healthcare facility should be addressed. To achieve this, mental healthcare sensitization programs should be integrated into maternal healthcare at all levels, and mothers attending antenatal clinics should be routinely screened for early symptoms of depression in the postpartum period.
产后母亲寻求心理保健的行为在尼日利亚很少受到关注。该国以往的研究主要集中在寻求身体健康保健行为的决定因素、孕产妇保健提供者的选择、孕产妇精神疾病的患病率及决定因素，然而，尼日利亚女性寻求孕产妇心理健康保健行为的决定因素尚未得到充分研究。因此，本研究调查了尼日利亚伊巴丹产后妇女寻求心理健康保健行为的决定因素。使用爱丁堡产后抑郁量表计算以产后抑郁为代理指标的孕产妇精神疾病。本研究的数据通过使用9页问卷的调查方法获得。采用了三阶段抽样技术。第一阶段是分层抽样，根据公共和私人医疗保健提供者的所有权对提供产后和免疫服务的卫生设施进行分类。在第二阶段，根据就诊人数有目的地选择了七家医疗保健机构，其中包括三（3）家私立和四（4）家公立医疗保健机构。最后阶段是从七家医疗保健机构中随机选择390名在产后和免疫诊所就诊的产后母亲。母亲中抑郁症的患病率为20.8%。虽然只有39.5%的抑郁女性寻求护理，但22.3%的非患者也寻求心理保健。这表明患者和非患者都寻求心理保健。此外，患者中产后抑郁症的较高发病率增加了寻求心理保健的可能性。年龄、产后抑郁症家族史以及孩子性别符合期望是寻求心理健康保健行为的决定因素。在未寻求护理的产后抑郁症患者中，对心理保健的低感知需求、认为抑郁症状会自行消失的看法以及害怕被污名化为“软弱母亲”是不寻求心理保健的原因。因此，为了促进心理保健，应解决非成本因素，如心理保健设施的可及性和可用性。要实现这一点，应将心理保健宣传计划纳入各级孕产妇保健，并且应为参加产前诊所的母亲在产后定期筛查抑郁症的早期症状。
