Prevalence and Factors Associated With Depression Among the Mothers of School-going Children in Dhaka City, Bangladesh

Abstract

Background Motherhood is associated with extra stress, and mothers of young children are particularly prone to developing depression and mental health problems. Methodology This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in Dhaka city, Bangladesh, from June to December 2019. Mothers of school-going children were recruited through a multistage sampling technique. Dhaka city was divided into two divisions and then further subdivided into public and private sectors. Six schools were selected from each sector by using a simple random sampling technique. A list of class five to eight students were collected from each school by systematic random sampling. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using semi-structured questionnaires. The rate of depressive symptoms was measured by the validated Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). Result A total of 324 women participated in this study; the majority of the women (85.5%) were Muslim, 67.0% were housewives, and 53.1% had a girl child. Among the women, 15.4% had mild, 22.2% had moderate, and 20.1% had severe depression. Most of the child's behavioral and lifestyle factors were associated with the mother's depression. Adjusted analyses indicate that if a child is often unhappy, depressed, or tearful [(OR (95%CI = 22.27 (8.39–59.11)], gets nervous in new situations or easily loses confidence [(OR (95%CI) = 5.45 (2.96–10.00)], often lies or cheats [(OR (95%CI) = 8.93 (3.76–21.22)], gets afraid easily [(OR (95%CI) = 7.09 (3.79–13.24)], watches television for 3 h or more [(OR (95%CI) = 23.77 (6.46–87.48)] browses the internet for 3 h or more [(OR (95%CI = 7.37 (2.76–19.67)] were associated with mother's depression. Conclusion The study concludes that depression among the mothers of school-going children in Dhaka city of Bangladesh is high. Several lifestyles and behavioral factors of school-going children are significantly associated with the mothers' depression.