Prevalence and determinants of common perinatal mental disorders in women in low- and lower-middle-income countries: a systematic review

objective: to review the evidence about the prevalence and determinants of non-psychotic common perinatal mental disorders (cpmds) in world bank categorized low- and lower-middle-income countries. methods: major databases were searched systematically for english-language publications on the prevalence of non-psychotic cpmds and on their risk factors and determinants. all study designs were included. findings: thirteen papers covering 17 low- and lower-middle-income countries provided findings for pregnant women, and 34, for women who had just given birth. data on disorders in the antenatal period were available for 9 (8%) countries, and on disorders in the postnatal period, for 17 (15%). weighted mean prevalence was 15.6% (95% confidence interval, ci: 15.4-15.9) antenatally and 19.8% (19.5-20.0) postnatally. risk factors were: socioeconomic disadvantage (odds ratio [or] range: 2.1-13.2); unintended pregnancy (1.6-8.8); being younger (2.1-5.4); being unmarried (3.4-5.8); lacking intimate partner empathy and support (2.0-9.4); having hostile in-laws (2.1-4.4); experiencing intimate partner violence (2.11-6.75); having insufficient emotional and practical support (2.8-6.1); in some settings, giving birth to a female (1.8-2.6), and having a history of mental health problems (5.1-5.6). protective factors were: having more education (relative risk: 0.5; p = 0.03); having a permanent job (or: 0.64; 95% ci: 0.4-1.0); being of the ethnic majority (or: 0.2; 95% ci: 0.1-0.8) and having a kind, trustworthy intimate partner (or: 0.52; 95% ci: 0.3-0.9). conclusion: cpmds are more prevalent in low- and lower-middle-income countries, particularly among poorer women with gender-based risks or a psychiatric history.