Aims: Depressive disorder accompanying the hormonal and physiological changes experienced in pregnancy may have negative impact for both the mother and the baby and lead to undesirable results. For these reasons, it is important to determine the risk factors and predictors of depression within the cultural context of the pregnant women in order to ensure early diagnosis and treatment. In this study, our aim is to identify the risk factors and predictors of depressive disorders in women in the first trimester of their pregnancy.
Methods: A total of 463 women who were in the first trimester of their pregnancy were randomly selected for this study. Participants were administered the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) for the diagnosis of depressive disorders. Pregnant women who were diagnosed with a depressive disorder were administered the Hamilton Depression Scale, the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale, Brief Disability Questionnaire, and the Perceived Social Support Scale which was developed for Turkish population. A sociodemographic information sheet was completed for each patient to identify the risk factors associated with depressive disorders.
Results: The risk factors that were found to be associated with depressive disorders in this study were level of education, low income, early marriage, adolescent pregnancy, history of miscarriage, low education level of the spouse and exposure to violence. Previous mental illness, a history of mental illness during the previous pregnancy, unemployment of spouse, exposure to violence during current pregnancy and unplanned pregnancy were found to be the predictors of depressive disorder during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Conclusion: The first step in preventing depression in the pregnant population is to identify the women at risk. Identification of at-risk pregnant women in their first trimester and early treatment will reduce potential risks for both the mother and the infant. In terms of early diagnosis and treatment of pregnant women, it would be helpful to start depression screening programs that are run by specialists in our country.