Risk factors for anxiety and depression in pregnant women in the southern region of Yucatán, Mexico

Introduction. Mental disorders [MD] are conditions that can occur during pregnancy and have harmful effects on both the mother and the fetus. Two of the most common are depression and anxiety; these have been poorly studied in communities in Yucatán, and the associated risk factors in pregnant women are unknown. Objective. To estimate the prevalence of depression and anxiety and explore associations between risk factors in a sample of pregnant women from communities in the southern region of the state of Yucatán, Mexico. Methodology. A cross-sectional study was conducted with pregnant women attending prenatal care and childbirth at a community hospital in the southern state of Yucatán. The BID-II and STAI instruments were used to detect depression and anxiety. A risk factor questionnaire was administered, including sociodemographic and gynecological-obstetric variables. Descriptive measures were calculated, and univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. Associations greater than OR=1 and p values < 0.05 were considered significant. Contributions. This study contributes to demonstrating that pregnant women experience depression and anxiety problems that are not diagnosed during prenatal care. Twenty point nine percent of women had high levels of depression and 85.1% had high levels of anxiety. Associated risk factors were lack of paid employment, associated with depression [OR=5.5, p=0.01], and being in the third trimester of pregnancy, associated with anxiety [OR=3.3, p=0.02]. This demonstrates the need to implement preventive, diagnostic, care, and follow-up protocols for women during the perinatal period.