Factors associated with perinatal mental health challenges among women in Mahikeng local municipality

Abstract

Background: The perinatal period is an unpredictable phase in a woman's life, and during this time, women are prone to develop mental health challenges. Research demonstrated that approximately one in five women experience mental health challenges during the perinatal period. According to the World Health Organization, mental health is an essential component of overall well-being and cannot be overlooked in the context of pregnancy.

Aims: This study aimed to identify and describe the factors associated with perinatal mental health challenges among women in Mahikeng Local Municipality.

Research design and method: This study employed a quantitative, descriptive, crosssectional design. The researcher utilised a stratified random sample technique to select participants from diverse community health facilities located within distinct community health centres, to engage them in the study. An electronic self-reporting structured questionnaire was used to collect data, which was translated into Setswana. Perinatal women were provided with the link to access the study questionnaire. Data was collected from 263 women from four Community Health Centres.

Data analysis: Quantitative data was collected using the Research Electronic Data Capture database and imported into Stata 17 for data cleaning and analysis. The independent variables were categorised to analyse the association between each independent and outcome variable using a bivariate analysis to calculate the Crude Odd's Ratio with 95% Confidence Interval. These were followed by multivariate results and Chisquare tests, which show associations. Results: Of the 263 perinatal women surveyed, nearly half (48.7%) of the participants indicated that there is a likelihood of experiencing perinatal mental health challenges during the perinatal period. The use of substances, relationship satisfaction and domestic violence have indicated to have a significant association with perinatal mental health challenges at a significance level of p < 0.05.

Ethical consideration: Informed consent was sought from all the perinatal women who met the inclusion criteria and willingly, without coercion, agreed to participate in the study. Confidentiality and anonymity were ensured. The North-West University Health Research Ethics Committee granted ethical approval to conduct the study. North West Department of Health also supports accessing the Community Health Centres.

Conclusions: Perinatal mental health challenges remain a public health concern and continue to harm families and society at large. The findings of the study indicate that factors such as substance abuse and domestic violence are associated risk factors for perinatal mental health care issues. Furthermore, factors such as being satisfied with the relationship were a protective factor for the development of perinatal mental health challenges. The study suggests that it is essential to integrate mental health evaluation into antenatal treatment to identify pregnant women who may be susceptible to perinatal mental health difficulties. This would enable timely referral for suitable management strategies.