ISLAMABAD: A new World Bank research report finds that three dimensions of mental health are prevalent among mothers of children up to the age of six in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: depression, anxiety, and parenting stress. It turned out.
Maternal mental health concerns are significantly associated with lower levels of early childhood development.
According to the research report, the study also examined how exposure to stressors such as food insecurity, economic insecurity, flood impacts, community crime, discrimination, and domestic violence affect mothers’ mental health and children. We are also analyzing whether it worsens the outcomes of patients.
Particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, 28% of women and 58% of pregnant women who visited health facilities were found to be depressed.
A study in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province found that an estimated 21% of women suffer from generalized anxiety disorder.
The report is based on a household survey commissioned by the World Bank and conducted by the Center for Evaluation and Development in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from December 2023 to February 2024. Households were selected based on their location in the catchment area of one of the 200 public schools across Khyber Pakhtankhwa, excluding newly merged school districts.
In health facilities, 28% of women and 58% of pregnant women were found to be depressed in KP.
Regression analyzes showed that maternal depression, anxiety, and It shows a significant and negative composite interaction of parenting stress.
World Bank research suggests policy improvements are needed to focus on at-risk communities, provide mental health services, and reduce exposure to stressors within communities and households .
Parents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa face many risks to child development that have worsened over the past decade.
Long-standing challenges include high poverty rates, low access to quality education, including pre-primary education, and incomplete and insufficient coverage of social assistance cash transfers.
Add to these risks maternal depression, anxiety, and parenting stress, which we know are consistently negatively impacted by vulnerability, conflict, and violence.
Higher levels of parental depression, anxiety, and parenting stress are associated with higher levels of children’s internalizing behaviors, higher levels of externalizing behaviors such as anger and aggression, and lower levels of self-regulation and ability to follow directions, respectively. Various studies have confirmed that poor social-emotional abilities are predicted. Become friends with your friends.
The co-occurrence of multiple parental mental health problems increases the risk of early childhood functioning.
Research papers show that the comorbidity of anxiety and depression in Pakistan ranges from 25% to 34%, with higher rates among women than men.
Although these risks occur across the socio-economic spectrum, women from low-income households experience disproportionate levels of mental health concerns, such as depression, and may experience higher levels of mental health concerns, such as maternal cooperation and cognitive stimulation. Characteristics that promote good early childhood development (ECD) are less common. .
Vulnerable groups typically experience significantly higher rates of mental health concerns. In Pakistan, depression and anxiety during pregnancy have been shown to have a higher incidence in rural women compared to urban women.
A cross-sectional study in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa found an association between lower educational attainment and higher maternal depression and anxiety levels.
Data from Pakistan shows a correlation between maternal depression before and after childbirth, but there are few studies showing the relationship between maternal mental health and ECD before school age. Pakistan has one of the highest estimates of maternal postnatal depression among Asian countries, with rates ranging from 28% to 63%, and evidence of paternal postnatal depression is similar.
Published at Dawn on November 25, 2024
