Correlates of depressive symptomatology during the second trimester of pregnancy among Hong Kong Chinese

The study investigated the correlates of antenatal depressive symptoms among Hong Kong Chinese women during their second trimester of pregnancy. A total of 2178 women were recruited at five regional public hospitals in Hong Kong to participate in a study with a cross-sectional design. Associations were examined between depressive symptoms (using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) and socioeconomic, obstetric, and Chinese family relations. Logistic regression analysis revealed that younger age, a personal or family psychiatric history, an unplanned pregnancy, a history of menstruation discomfort or premenstrual mood change, high marital conflict, and high mother-in-law conflict were found to be associated with more severe depressive symptoms. Antenatal depression is important because of its association with risk of adverse consequences for mothers and their families. There is a consensus that depression is most treatable when detected early. These findings therefore provide important information for the prevention of antenatal depressive symptoms among the Hong Kong population, amongst whom depression is rarely talked about. The implications and limitations of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.