title: Prevalence of depression among mothers of young children in Honduras.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Maternal depression is a substantial problem that has negative consequences on the health of both mother and child. Little research has been done on the prevalence of maternal depression in the developing world. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of current depression among mothers in Honduras and identify demographic predictors of depression in this sample.
  
  
  METHODS
  A modified Spanish version of the PHQ-9 and a demographic questionnaire were administered by trained interviewers to 415 rural and urban women aged 15-66 who had children between 1 and 10 years old.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prevalence of current major depressive syndrome was 17.6%. Mild depressive symptoms were detected in 52% of the sample. The estimated prevalence of current major depressive syndrome in the urban sample (19%) was not significantly greater than in the rural sample (16%, p = 0.49). None of the demographic variables measured, including age, number of children, or marital status predicted major depression in this sample.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Maternal depression occurred at a high rate in this sample of Honduran women. The estimated prevalence rates in this study are similar to rates of maternal depression in studies of mothers in other Latin American countries, as well as in samples of mothers on Medicaid in the United States. Further study is needed to confirm and extend these findings, and to identify predictors of maternal depression in this population.
authors.affiliation: University of Cincinnati and Psychiatry Service, VA Medical Center, USA. lawson.wulsin@uc.edu
authors.forename: Lawson
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wulsin
authors.forename: Eugene
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Somoza
authors.forename: Jeffery
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heck
authors.forename: Leah
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bauer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003906:Developing Countries; D006306:Health Surveys; D006721:Honduras; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult