Background Hormonal and physical changes during pregnancy affect mothers’ mental health. Because depression during pregnancy is closely associated with poor pregnancy outcomes, treatment is important for pregnant women with depression. This study aimed to identify barriers to treatment-seeking behaviors among pregnant women with depression in Indonesia.
Methods Data from the 2018 Indonesian Basic Health Research were used, which focused on pregnant women aged 15–54 years who exhibited depressive symptoms. The Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview was used to assess depression. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore the factors affecting treatment-seeking behaviors.
Results Among the pregnant women in Indonesia, 7.9% experienced depression; however, only 11.4% sought treatment. Higher transportation costs to the clinic were associated with 41% lower odds of seeking treatment (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.59; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.37–0.95; P=0.029). Women in their second and third trimesters had 48% (AOR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.28–0.98; P=0.042) and 54% (AOR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.24–0.89; P=0.022) lower odds of seeking treatment, respectively, than those in their first trimester.
Conclusion Financial barriers and the challenges of late pregnancy hinder treatment-seeking behaviors for depression in pregnant women. Therefore, there is an urgent need for affordable and accessible mental health care for vulnerable populations.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Family medicine for all stages of life: turning knowledge into actionable care Joung Sik Son Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2026; 47(2): 95. CrossRef
“If I’m Not Okay, I Won’t Take the Pills”: Anticipating the Effects of Depression and PTSD on PrEP Use Among PrEP Naïve Pregnant and Postpartum Persons in South Africa Amelia M. Stanton, Lauren Gulbicki, Anvita Bhardwaj, Madison R. Fertig, Jennifer N. Githaiga, Katherine E. Kabel, Linda Gwangqa, Landon Myer, Lucia Knight, Conall M. O’Cleirigh, Christina Psaros International Journal of Behavioral Medicine.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
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