Prevalence of postpartum depression in the Russian Federation: a systematic review and meta-analysis

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OBJECTIVE

To obtain a summary estimate of the prevalence of postpartum depression (PPD) in the Russian Federation using a systematic review with a meta-analysis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The search for studies was conducted in two Russian and five foreign electronic bibliographic databases. The systematic review included studies on women living in the Russian Federation who gave birth to a child within 12 months; it also describes a methodology for identifying PPD and quantitative indicators of the prevalence of PPD among study participants. In a meta-analysis of 51 studies including over 12.800 participants, the overall prevalence of PPD was calculated using the DerSimonian-Laird random effects model. Additionally, the PPD prevalence was calculated separately in subgroups of studies that used different diagnostic tools at different periods and with different methodological quality.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of PPD In Russia for all included studies is 34.47% (95% CI 29.14—39.81%), and for the last 5 years, from 2020 to 2024, 43.50% (95% CI 35.5—51.5%). The meta-regression results showed a statistically significant positive association between the year of publication and the prevalence of PPD (regression coefficient +0.019, p=0.004). Results are consistent: the resulting prevalence of PPD is not critically dependent on any single study. The prevalence of PPD among women with complicated pregnancy and childbirth was slightly higher than among women without it, but there were no statistically significant differences: 48.9% (95% CI 26.5—71.4%) vs. 42.3% (95% CI 33.5—51.1%; z=0.54; p=0.59). In high-quality studies, the mean prevalence of PPD was 5.7% lower than in the others, but this difference was not statistically significant. The cumulative PPD prevalence in studies assessed by the Edinburgh PPD Scale (EPDS) with a threshold value of ≥10 points was 49.6% (95% CI 39.3- 59.7%).

CONCLUSION

In the Russian Federation, there is a high prevalence of postpartum depression, especially in studies performed over the past 5 years, from 2020 to 2024, which supports the need to develop measures for its detection, prevention, and treatment.

Keywords:

postpartum depression

prevalence

systematic review

meta-analysis

risk factors

epidemiology

Russian Federation

screening

Authors:

Fedaka A.A.

Sechenov University

ORCID: 0000-0003-3680-0790

Avxentyeva M.V.

Sechenov University

SPIN RSCI: 3333-4237
Scopus AuthorID: 56308310000
ORCID: 0000-0001-6660-0402

Received:

31.03.2025

Accepted:

22.04.2025

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