Burden and Determinants of Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Depression Among Antenatal Females in an Urban Area of North India: A Cross-Sectional Study

Nitika Sharma; Garima Sangwan; Savita Chahal; Manju Rani; Dhriti Bapna; Rajesh Garg

doi:10.51957/Healthline_793_2026

Authors

Nitika Sharma Assistant Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College, Karnal, India Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7343-3355
Garima Sangwan Assistant Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College, Karnal, India Author
Savita Chahal Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College, Karnal, India Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4742-9608
Manju Rani Public Health Specialist, Department of Dermatology and STD, VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, India Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4322-0997
Dhriti Bapna Assistant Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College, Karnal, India Author
Rajesh Garg Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College, Karnal, India Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5597-1416

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51957/Healthline_793_2026

Keywords:

Anxiety, Depression, Mental health, Prevalence

Abstract

Introduction: Anxiety and depression are the most common mental health disorders experienced during pregnancy having a reported between 8.7% and 65% in India. Antenatal depression has been linked to negative health-related behaviors and adverse outcomes among the pregnant females and their neonates. Objective: The present study was designed with the primary aim of determining the prevalence and determinants of depression and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) among antenatal females. Methods: A community-based, cross-sectional study was carried out between February 2023 to August 2024 among 220 antenatal females selected through simple random sampling. A pre- tested semi-structured interview schedule, GAD-7 (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7) and PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) scales were used for data collection. Descriptive statistics were applied for quantitative data and chi square test was applied to the categorical data. Results: There were 216 participants and among them, 26.9% had some degree of depression. Mild, moderate and severe anxiety were seen in 25.9%, 5.6% and 2.8% of the participants, respectively. Factors like advanced maternal age, lower socioeconomic status, nuclear family structure, lifetime and current experiences of domestic violence, unwanted pregnancy, advanced gestation and a male child preference were significantly associated (p value <0.05) with antenatal depression and anxiety. Conclusion: A high prevalence of antenatal depression and anxiety was associated with various socio-demographic and obstetric factors. The use of screening tools was found to be a feasible method to identify antenatal depression and anxiety.

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