Gender-Specific Mental Health Clinics and Maternal Depression in Kibera Slum, Kenya: An Intervention Study

Maternal depression is a significant public health issue in Kibera Slum, Kenya, affecting approximately 15% of pregnant women and impacting child development and survival outcomes. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with a sample size of 300 participants, randomly assigned to either traditional healthcare or gender-specific mental health clinics. Data collection included pre- and post-intervention assessments using standardised depression scales. The results showed that women in the gender-specific intervention group had a significant reduction in depressive symptoms (p < 0.05) compared to those receiving standard care, with an average decrease of 24% in symptom severity. Gender-specific mental health clinics appear effective in mitigating maternal depression symptoms in Kibera Slum. Promote the implementation of gender-sensitive healthcare services and further research into their long-term efficacy and cost-effectiveness. Maternal Depression, Gender-Specific Care, Mental Health Clinics, Kibera Slum Treatment effect was estimated with logit(pᵢ)=β₀+β^ Xᵢ, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.