Mental Health and its Related Factors in Pregnant Women in Health Centers of Kuhdasht, Iran

Although pregnancy is a natural and physiological phenomenon, during pregnancy women are exposed to physical and psychological changes, which can affect the health of the mother and fetus. This study aimed to evaluate mental health and its related factors in women during pregnancy. This cross-sectional study has studied 250 pregnant women, who referred to Kuhdasht health centers in Lorestan province in 2010. The cluster sampling method was performed. Data was collected by the GHQ-28 questionnaire and analyzed using the chi-square test and by SPSS16 software. The results revealed that 31.6% of the women with a mean age of 26.4 ± 6.1 were suspected to have mental health disorders. Based on the results, the prevalence of mental disorders was 34.4%, 23.1% and 40.2% in the first, second, and third trimesters of pregnancy, respectively. There was a significant correlation between mental health disorders and some personal and socioeconomic factors. The results of this study showed a high percentage of mental health disorders among pregnant women and showed the necessity of paying attention to mental health among pregnant women. Therefore, it is necessary to plan for appropriate care in order to prevent the occurrence of mental disorders among this vulnerable group.