Al Rajabi Ala, Alkatheeri Hind, Hijazi Rafiq, Kennedy Lynne
Department of Nutrition Sciences, College of Health Science, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Department of Health Sciences, College of Natural and Health Sciences, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Sci Rep. 2025 Mar 27;15(1):10528. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-94912-3.
Postpartum Depression (PPD) is a common mental health disorder affecting mothers. Breastfeeding may be protective against PPD. Global estimates of breastfeeding and PPD rates vary, especially for women living in Middle Eastern countries. The current study aims to assess breastfeeding and PPD prevalence and to identify factors associated with reduced PPD risk within the social and cultural contexts of the UAE. We used a purposive, convenience snowball sampling technique to recruit participants. Inclusion criteria were female ≥ 18 years, mother of a child ≤ three years, and resident of Abu Dhabi, UAE. Data was collected using an online survey distributed via email and social media platforms. The survey comprised four sections: sociodemographic characteristics, breastfeeding behaviour, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and The International Physical Activity Questionnaire -Short Form (IPAQ-SF). Pearson chi-squared tests and binary logistic regression model were used to investigate the associations between PPD levels and potential predictors using SPSS statistical software. Variables included in the regression model were breastfeeding duration, delivery mode, BMI, education, general health, physical activity level, employment status, number of children, and age. All statistical significance was considered at p-value < 0.05. In total 403 subjects consented to participate; 204 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis (age [mean ± SD] = 31.2 ± 7.3 years). Among them, 34.8% suffered from moderate-to-severe PPD, and 66.2% breastfed their last child for > 3 months. Regression model results showed that (OR; 95% CI) college education (0.39; 0.19-0.80), having more than one child (0.40; 0.17-0.94), self-reported very good (0.43; 0.19-0.98) and excellent health (0.21; 0.08-0.51), and breastfeeding for > three months (0.46; 0.23-0.92), were significantly associated with reduced odds of moderate-to-severe PPD. None of the remaining variables -including physical activity- were significant. In conclusion, breastfeeding is significantly associated with a reduction in moderate-to-severe PPD among mothers in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
产后抑郁症（PPD）是一种影响母亲的常见心理健康障碍。母乳喂养可能对产后抑郁症有预防作用。全球范围内对母乳喂养率和产后抑郁症发病率的估计各不相同，尤其是对于生活在中东国家的女性。本研究旨在评估阿联酋社会文化背景下的母乳喂养情况和产后抑郁症患病率，并确定与降低产后抑郁症风险相关的因素。我们采用了有目的、便利的滚雪球抽样技术来招募参与者。纳入标准为年龄≥18岁的女性、孩子年龄≤3岁的母亲以及阿联酋阿布扎比的居民。数据通过电子邮件和社交媒体平台分发的在线调查问卷收集。该调查问卷包括四个部分：社会人口学特征、母乳喂养行为、爱丁堡产后抑郁量表（EPDS）以及国际体力活动问卷简表（IPAQ-SF）。使用SPSS统计软件，通过Pearson卡方检验和二元逻辑回归模型来研究产后抑郁症水平与潜在预测因素之间的关联。回归模型中纳入的变量包括母乳喂养持续时间、分娩方式、体重指数、教育程度、总体健康状况、体力活动水平、就业状况、孩子数量和年龄。所有统计学显著性均以p值<0.05来考量。共有403名受试者同意参与；204名符合纳入标准并被纳入最终分析（年龄[均值±标准差]=31.2±7.3岁）。其中，34.8%患有中度至重度产后抑郁症，66.2%对其最后一个孩子进行了超过3个月的母乳喂养。回归模型结果显示，（比值比；95%置信区间）大学教育程度（0.39；0.19 - 0.80）、有多个孩子（0.40；0.17 - 0.94）、自我报告非常健康（0.43；0.19 - 0.98）和健康状况极佳（0.21；0.08 - 0.51）以及母乳喂养超过三个月（0.46；0.23 - 0.92），均与中度至重度产后抑郁症几率降低显著相关。其余变量（包括体力活动）均无显著性。总之，在阿联酋阿布扎比，母乳喂养与母亲中度至重度产后抑郁症的减少显著相关。
