Prevalence of screen-positive depressive and anxiety symptoms among antenatal women attending a tertiary care hospital: a prospective observational cross-sectional study.
Abstract
Background: Depressive and anxiety symptoms during pregnancy are often missed during routine obstetric visits, even though they can affect maternal well-being and engagement with antenatal care. Brief screening at the point of care may help identify women who need further assessment. Objectives: To estimate the frequency of screen-positive depressive and anxiety symptoms among antenatal women attending a tertiary-care hospital and to examine selected sociodemographic and obstetric correlates. Methods: A prospective observational cross-sectional study was planned among 50 pregnant women attending their first antenatal visit. Women with a known pre-existing mental illness and those who did not consent were excluded. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and anxiety symptoms using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7). Scores of 10 or more were considered positive screens. Descriptive statistics, Wilson 95% confidence intervals, Fisher exact test, chi-square test, and Spearman correlation were used. Results: In this study, 13 of 50 women screened positive for depressive symptoms (26.0%, 95% CI 15.9%-39.6%) and 10 screened positive for anxiety symptoms (20.0%, 95% CI 11.2%-33.0%). Eighteen women (36.0%) had at least one positive screen and five (10.0%) screened positive on both instruments. Positive screening was more frequent among women reporting limited social support and among those with an unplanned pregnancy. PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores were moderately correlated (rho = 0.58, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Antenatal mental-health screening can identify a substantial burden of depressive and anxiety symptoms during routine obstetric contact. A positive screening result should prompt clinical assessment rather than be interpreted as a psychiatric diagnosis. Recommendations: Antenatal services should consider brief validated screening tools together with clear pathways for risk assessment, counselling, and referral when clinically indicated.