Social environment and depression among pregnant women in rural areas of Sind, Pakistan

Objective: to evaluate the relative power of social relations and social conditions in predicting depression using (ces-d scale) among rural pregnant women belonging to sind, pakistan. methods: the study was conducted from january 2004 tp december 2004. both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed. during quantitative phase a total of 375 rural pregnant women were inquired about social conditions, social relations and pregnancy related concerns through a questionnaire based form. variables were given scores when it applied to a situation of a pregnant woman. concurrently, in a blind set-up, translated and validated depression scale (ces-d) was administered. in multivariate linear regression analysis, relation between scores of social relations and social condition variables with scores of ces-d scale were analyzed. results: prevalence of depression among rural pregnant women is high (62%).social conditions as compared to social relations are more important determinants for depression among rural pregnant women. conclusion: there is a high prevalence of depression in rural areas.