Association of psychosocial factors with postpartum depressive symptoms among mothers in urban slums of Mumbai

Abstract

Background: Postpartum depression affects mothers emotional well-being, bonding with her baby, and ability to cope after childbirth. This study aimed to assess postpartum depressive symptoms among mothers in the urban slums of Mumbai and examine its links with self-esteem, perceived social support and Maternal age. Methods: The present study adapted quantitative method, cross sectional, correlational research design with 151 women between 4 weeks to 1 year postpartum were assessed using a pre-tested questionnaire. Hindi validated tools like Edinburgh postnatal depression scale, Rosenberg self-esteem scale, and multidimensional perceived social support scale were used, data were analyzed to determine the prevalence of postpartum depressive symptoms and its association with the opted factors. Results: Research focused on how maternal age, self-esteem, and perceived social support associate with postpartum depression (PPD) in 151 mothers residing in urban slums of Mumbai. Around 56.3% of these mothers depicted symptoms of PPD, highlighting that a large number were at average to high risk. This study showed that mothers with lesser self-esteem had considerably higher levels of depressive symptoms. Support from family and partners also aided in lowering depressive symptoms, while support from friends and maternal age highlighted no significant difference. The strongest predictor overall was self-esteem, making up about 22% of the variation in depression scores. These findings emphasized the importance of establishing self-esteem and enhancing family and partner support networks for new mothers in low-income communities. Conclusions: These findings highlight the need for targeted psycho social interventions to mitigate PPD risks among urban slum mothers, informing scalable public health strategies in low-resource settings.