Mental health status of women in reproductive age group and its determinants in rural Odisha, India using GHQ 12 questionnaire

Background: The study was conceived with support from the Department of Health Research (DHR), India to use the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), to screen women in the reproductive age group, stratified for pregnant, lactating, and nonpregnant and non-lactate women (NPNL), for their mental health status and examine it with their social background to understand the influences around their mental health.   Methods: By multistage sampling, subcenters were selected from 6 districts; women in the 3 groups were selected proportionately in each district, and data was collected on the basis of a pre-tested, pre-designed questionnaire along with the GHQ-12.   Results: Results showed GHQ-12 scores across the 3 categories of women are nearly the same with no significant difference (p=0.91). The higher GHQ (scores >11 to 36) were also noted to be equal for pregnant and lactating women i.e. 41.4% and mildly less for NPNL women 40.7%, reaffirming that pregnancy and the postnatal period add more stress to the woman’s life. Age of the women, age at marriage, hemoglobin levels, and poor Iron Folic Acid (IFA) intake were common predictors for poor mental health in all the 3 strata.  Conclusions: The study suggests that psychological stressors are cross-sectionally present in all three groups of women in the reproductive age group and all three strata need equal focus. Above 40% distress in mental health in women in all strata of the reproductive age group (ie pregnant women, post-natal women, and women not pregnant or lactating) is appalling, contrary to the general opinion that post-natal women alone face mental health compromise. Hence, the life cycle approach is recommended for best results.