THE PREVALENCE OF EARLY POSTPARTUM PSYCHIATRIC MORBIDITY IN DUBAI - ATRANSCULTURAL PERSPECTIVE

There have been numerous studies of the prevalence of postpartum psych iatric illness and its putative risk factors in Western Europe and Nor th America, but very few studies have been undertaken in developing co untries, including the Arab world. A total of 95 women admitted to the New Dubai Hospital in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for childbirth wer e studied. All subjects were assessed in the postpartum period using c linical and sociocultural instruments, namely the Self-Reporting Quest ionnaire (SRQ) on day 2 and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale ( EPDS) on day 7 after delivery. The prevalence of psychiatric morbidity was 24% according to the SRQ and 18% according to the EPDS. A number of psychosocial factors emerged as putative risk factors for postpartu m psychiatric disturbance, including depressive illness. It is conclud ed that the prevalence of postpartum psychiatric morbidity and its ris k factors in this Arab culture are similar to the results obtained in numerous previous studies conducted in industrialized countries. These findings have implications for the early detection and care of women at risk for postpartum psychiatric illness.