Depression among Nigerian women following pregnancy loss

OBJECTIVE: To determine the level of depression in Nigerian women following spontaneous pregnancy loss and the coping strategies used. METHODS: A questionnaire survey of 202 Nigerian women who had involuntary pregnancy loss over a 1-year period. The Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale was used to assess the women. RESULTS: Two-thirds of the pregnancy losses occurred before 20 weeks of gestation and one-third occurred after 20 weeks. The majority of respondents (74.3%) had minimal depressive symptoms (scoring 50-59 on the depression scale), 3% had moderate symptoms (scoring 60-69), and 13.9% had severe symptoms (scoring 70-80). Risk factors for moderate to severe depression included being married, previous pregnancy loss, loss of a male fetus, childlessness, and losses after 20 weeks (P<0.05). Presence of a woman's husband, children, parents and relatives, friends, and religious observance were identified as positive coping strategies. CONCLUSION: Most Nigerian women suffer some level of depression following pregnancy loss, with no living children and losses after 20 weeks being the most significant risk factors.