Awareness of postpartum depression among midwives and pregnant women in Arkhangelsk, Arctic Russia

ABSTRACT

Background

Postpartum depression (PPD) affects approximately 17% of the women worldwide with nearly half of all cases going undetected. More research on maternal mental health, particularly among healthcare professionals and pregnant mothers, could help identify PPD risks and reduce its prevalence.

Objective

Given that awareness of PPD is a crucial preventive factor, we studied PPD awareness among midwives and pregnant women in Arkhangelsk, Arctic Russia.

Methods

A qualitative study was conducted using in-depth semi-structured interviews. Midwives and pregnant women were recruited from the women’s clinic of the Arkhangelsk municipal polyclinic. Seven midwives and 12 pregnant mothers were interviewed.

Results

Midwives described limited time for psychological counselling of pregnant women; they reported that their primary focus was on the physiological well-being of women. Pregnant women have expressed a desire for their families to share responsibilities. The participants considered PPD as a mix of psychological and physiological symptoms, and they also highlighted a discrepancy between the expectations of pregnant women and the reality of motherhood. The present study underscored the limited understanding of PPD identification.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that there is a need for increased awareness among midwives and pregnant women regarding PPD. Prevention programs targeting PPD with a specific emphasis on enhancing maternal mental health knowledge are warranted.

Paper context

• Main findings: Pregnant women and midwives in an Arctic Russian setting have low awareness of postpartum depression.

• Added knowledge: Improved awareness among pregnant women and midwives about the mental health of women after childbirth, educating pregnant women about symptoms of postpartum depression, encourage them to express their needs and collaboration with family supporters may help to reduce postpartum depression burden.

• Global health impact for policy and action: Updated campaigns and prevention programs with the focus on increasing the knowledge on mental health among pregnant women and health personnel may be effective support for Primary health care.

KEYWORDS:

• Postnatal depression
• maternal health
• perceptions
• pregnant woman
• midwife

Responsible Editor Maria Emmelin

Responsible Editor Maria Emmelin

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Nancy Lea Eik-Nes for assistance in revising the text. We thank all the women and midwives who participated in this study for sharing their opinions and experiences with us.

Author contributions

Conceptualization, E.A.N., O.A.K., V.A.P., J.Ø.O.; Methodology, E.A.N., O.A.K., E.D.; Software, E.A.N., O.A.K.; Validation, E.A.N., O.A.K.; Formal Analysis, E.A.N., O.A.K., E.D.; Investigation, E.A.N.; Resources, J.Ø.O.; Data Curation, E.A.N., O.A.K.; Writing – Original Draft Preparation, E.A.N.; Writing – Review & Editing, E.A.N., O.A.K., V.A.P., E.D., A.M.G., J.Ø.O.; Visualization, E.A.N.; Supervision, O.A.K., V.A.P., J.Ø.O.; Project Administration, E.A.N., J.Ø.O.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Informed consent statement

Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.

Additional information

Funding

The study was supported by The Norwegian University of Science and Technology