'Maternity blues' in East African clinic attenders

Abstract

It has long been recognized that most mothers experience a transient depressive mood swing within ten days of delivery. Studies have largely been in women from developed countries, and it is of interest to know whether the phenomenon is culture bound or supracultural in its manifestation. A retrospective study of "maternity blues" in 50 East African mothers seen within two to 16 weeks of delivery showed that despite a radically different culture, the incidence resembled that of developed countries. Of 38 mothers who experienced maternity blues, 21 had tearfulness and 14 had somatic features of anxiety.