Integrating maternal depression care at primary private clinics in low-income settings in Pakistan: A secondary analysis

IntroductionThe prevalence of depression among women in Pakistan ranges from 28% to 66%. There is a lack of structured mental healthcare provision at private primary care clinics in low-income urban settings in Pakistan. This study investigated the effectiveness and processes of a facility-based mat...

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Main Authors: Syeda Somyyah Owais, Ronnie D. Horner, Muhammad Amir Khan, Kelli Kenison, Janice C. Probst
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2023-04-01
Series:Frontiers in Global Women's Health
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgwh.2023.1091485/full
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author Syeda Somyyah Owais
Ronnie D. Horner
Muhammad Amir Khan
Kelli Kenison
Janice C. Probst
author_facet Syeda Somyyah Owais
Ronnie D. Horner
Muhammad Amir Khan
Kelli Kenison
Janice C. Probst
author_sort Syeda Somyyah Owais
collection DOAJ
description IntroductionThe prevalence of depression among women in Pakistan ranges from 28% to 66%. There is a lack of structured mental healthcare provision at private primary care clinics in low-income urban settings in Pakistan. This study investigated the effectiveness and processes of a facility-based maternal depression intervention at private primary care clinics in low-income settings.Materials and methodsA mixed-methods study was conducted using secondary data from the intervention. Mothers were assessed for depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). A total of 1,957 mothers (1,037 and 920 in the intervention and control arms, respectively) were retrieved for outcome measurements after 1 year of being registered. This study estimated the effectiveness of the depression intervention through cluster adjusted differences in the change in PHQ-9 scores between the baseline and the endpoint measurements for the intervention and control arms. Implementation was evaluated through emerging themes and codes from the framework analysis of 18 in-depth interview transcriptions of intervention participants.ResultsIntervention mothers had a 3.06-point (95% CI: −3.46 to −2.67) reduction in their PHQ-9 score at the endpoint compared with their control counterparts. The process evaluation revealed that the integration of structured depression care was feasible at primary clinics in poor urban settings. It also revealed gaps in the public–private care linkage system and the need to improve referral systems.ConclusionsIntervening for depression care at primary care clinics can be effective in reducing maternal depression. Clinic assistants can be trained to identify and deliver key depression counseling messages. The study invites policymakers to seize an opportunity to implement a monitoring mechanism toward standard mental health care.
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spelling doaj.art-197ba674745d4e2794c69713c39691d32023-04-06T05:52:32ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Global Women's Health2673-50592023-04-01410.3389/fgwh.2023.10914851091485Integrating maternal depression care at primary private clinics in low-income settings in Pakistan: A secondary analysisSyeda Somyyah Owais0Ronnie D. Horner1Muhammad Amir Khan2Kelli Kenison3Janice C. Probst4Centre for Healthcare Resilienceand Implementation Science, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaDepartment of Health Services Research & Administration, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United StatesAssociation for Social Development, Islamabad, PakistanDepartment of Health Services Policy and Management, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United StatesDepartment of Health Services Policy and Management, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United StatesIntroductionThe prevalence of depression among women in Pakistan ranges from 28% to 66%. There is a lack of structured mental healthcare provision at private primary care clinics in low-income urban settings in Pakistan. This study investigated the effectiveness and processes of a facility-based maternal depression intervention at private primary care clinics in low-income settings.Materials and methodsA mixed-methods study was conducted using secondary data from the intervention. Mothers were assessed for depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). A total of 1,957 mothers (1,037 and 920 in the intervention and control arms, respectively) were retrieved for outcome measurements after 1 year of being registered. This study estimated the effectiveness of the depression intervention through cluster adjusted differences in the change in PHQ-9 scores between the baseline and the endpoint measurements for the intervention and control arms. Implementation was evaluated through emerging themes and codes from the framework analysis of 18 in-depth interview transcriptions of intervention participants.ResultsIntervention mothers had a 3.06-point (95% CI: −3.46 to −2.67) reduction in their PHQ-9 score at the endpoint compared with their control counterparts. The process evaluation revealed that the integration of structured depression care was feasible at primary clinics in poor urban settings. It also revealed gaps in the public–private care linkage system and the need to improve referral systems.ConclusionsIntervening for depression care at primary care clinics can be effective in reducing maternal depression. Clinic assistants can be trained to identify and deliver key depression counseling messages. The study invites policymakers to seize an opportunity to implement a monitoring mechanism toward standard mental health care.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgwh.2023.1091485/fullPakistanmaternal depressionprimary healthcare (PHC)process evaluationimplementation
spellingShingle Syeda Somyyah Owais
Ronnie D. Horner
Muhammad Amir Khan
Kelli Kenison
Janice C. Probst
Integrating maternal depression care at primary private clinics in low-income settings in Pakistan: A secondary analysis
Frontiers in Global Women's Health
Pakistan
maternal depression
primary healthcare (PHC)
process evaluation
implementation
title Integrating maternal depression care at primary private clinics in low-income settings in Pakistan: A secondary analysis
title_full Integrating maternal depression care at primary private clinics in low-income settings in Pakistan: A secondary analysis
title_fullStr Integrating maternal depression care at primary private clinics in low-income settings in Pakistan: A secondary analysis
title_full_unstemmed Integrating maternal depression care at primary private clinics in low-income settings in Pakistan: A secondary analysis
title_short Integrating maternal depression care at primary private clinics in low-income settings in Pakistan: A secondary analysis
title_sort integrating maternal depression care at primary private clinics in low income settings in pakistan a secondary analysis
topic Pakistan
maternal depression
primary healthcare (PHC)
process evaluation
implementation
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgwh.2023.1091485/full
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