STUDY ABOUT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION AND BREASTFEEDING AMONG WOMEN IN QASSIM, SAUDI ARABIA

Background:  Postpartum depression is a disorder that can lead to serious complication for both mother and her baby. Despite the important health benefits of breastfeeding, its relation with postpartum depression remains unclear.  In this study, we aimed to know if there is any relation between postpartum depression (PPD) and breastfeeding among sample of women in Qassim region, Saudi Arabia

 Method: It was a cross sectional study. Data collected from 200 mothers attending vaccination sessions at primary health care facilities in Buraydah, Bukaria, Uniza& Alrass

Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was used to determine prevalence of Postpartum depression it is a validated widely used as screening tool. Additional questions included for the purpose of the study. Data analyzed using SPSS

Result: A total of 200 mother participated in the study. The majority (53%) of mothers were in the age range of 25 to 54 years. The results showed that 70% of mothers were breastfeeding their babies. The prevalence of depression was alarmingly high (more than 53% of the sample). However, the relationship between PPD and breast feeding was found to be statistically insignificant.   Conclusion: The study didn`t show an association between PPD & breastfeeding, however, the high prevalence of postpartum depression in Qassim calls for urgent attention and immediate action to bring those numbers down. More researches are recommended to find possible solutions for the problem.

Key words: Breastfeeding, postpartum depression, depression, mothers, relationship