Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common psychological disorder associated with childbirth. Over time, it can cause stress and mental problems, leading to a low quality of life and risk of malnutrition in their babies. Nonetheless, limited data are available on the prevalence and related factors of PPD among mothers of low birth weight (LBW) infants.

Objective: To study the prevalence of PPD and related factors in mothers of infants with LBW.

Materials and Methods: The present study was a descriptive cross-sectional design. It was conducted at Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital (BAH) between June 2019 and September 2020. Participants were the immediate parturients admitted and delivering LBW babies. Demographic data were collected before the participants were discharged from the hospital. At four to eight weeks after delivery, participants were interviewed to complete three self-reported questionnaires, including the parenting data, the Thai version of Edinburgh Postprtum Depression Scale (Thai-EPDS), and the Revised-Thai version of the Multi-dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (r-T-MSPSS). The infants’ data were collected from the medical records by the researcher.

Results: Two hundred sixty-seven from 398 participants were enrolled into the present study. The average age of participants, infants’ gestational age, and birth weight in the present study were 27.8 years, 36⁺⁵ weeks, and 2,281 grams, respectively. The prevalence of PPD among mothers of LBW infants in the present study was 22.5%. The factors significantly associated with PPD included both maternal factors such as educational level less than bachelor’s degree, marital conflict, history of depression, unplanned pregnancy, non-breastfeeding, and low social support, and infant factors such as hospital stay more than three days, admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and neonatal health problems.

Conclusion: The prevalence of PPD among mothers of LBW infants was 22.5%. Educational level less than bachelor’s degree, marital conflict, history of depression, unplanned pregnancy, non-breastfeeding, low social support, hospital stay of infant more than three days, NICU admission, and neonatal health problems were associated factors of PPD.

Keywords: Thai version of Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale; Low birth weight infants; Postpartum depression

DOI: doi.org/10.35755/jmedassocthai.2021.10.12627

Received 15 March 2021 | Revised 2 August 2021 | Accepted 3 August 2021