Original Research

Systematic review on the prevalence of perinatal depression in Malawi

Genesis Chorwe-Sungani, Kondwani Wella, Patrick Mapulanga, Ditress Nyirongo, Mercy Pindani
South African Journal of Psychiatry | Vol 28 | a1859 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v28i0.1859 | © 2022 Genesis Chorwe-Sungani, Kondwani Wella, Patrick Mapulanga, Ditress Nyirongo, Mercy Pindani | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 26 December 2021 | Published: 20 October 2022

About the author(s)

Genesis Chorwe-Sungani, Department of Mental Health, School of Nursing, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
Kondwani Wella, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences Library, Lilongwe, Malawi
Patrick Mapulanga, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences Library, Lilongwe, Malawi
Ditress Nyirongo, Department of Mental Health, School of Nursing, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
Mercy Pindani, Department of Mental Health, School of Nursing, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Lilongwe, Malawi

Abstract

Background: Perinatal depression causes significant burden to women and their families during the perinatal period. However, there is no reliable national prevalence data on perinatal depression in Malawi.

Aim: This systematic review aimed at establishing the pooled prevalence of perinatal depression.

Setting: The study setting is Malawi.

Methods: Two reviewers conducted the search, selection, quality evaluation and data abstraction. Appropriate terms were used to search the CINAHL, PsychINFO, PubMed and ScienceDirect databases. The relevance and the quality of the studies were assessed. The prevalence of prenatal depression was pooled using a random-effects model, which was used to synthesise the data.

Results: The review included a total of eight articles of fair and good quality. This review found a pooled prevalence of antenatal depression of 17.1% (95.0% confidence interval [CI]: 12.5–22.2) and postnatal depression of 19.8% (95.0% CI: 4.6–42.1) with an overall pooled prevalence of perinatal depression of 18.9% (95.0% CI: 14.5–23.8).

Conclusion: This systematic review provided a pooled prevalence of perinatal depression which may be used in the absence of national prevalence data on perinatal depression.

Contribution: This systematic review found a high a pooled prevalence of perinatal depression in Malawi suggesting that mental health should be a key component of maternal health programmes, policies and activities in the local setting.


Keywords

perinatal depression; antenatal depression; postnatal depression; prevalence; Malawi.

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Crossref Citations

1. Evaluation of implementation outcomes of an integrated group postpartum and well-child care model at clinics in Malawi
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doi: 10.1186/s12884-023-05545-1