Study of the relation between sleep disorder and depression at late stage of pregnancy

Women are subject to depression during pregnancy in the childbearing age, which is associated with serious complications for the mother, fetus, infant and the family. Its cause is not known. Recently, sleep disorder has been on the focus as causing depression. This study was conducted to determine the relation between sleep disorder and depression during pregnancy. This prospective describe-analytical study was conducted on the population of women admitted hospital of Tamin Ejtemaee in city of Hamedan in west of Iran in 2010. The study sample included161 normal (non depressed confirmed by the beck test) pregnant woman who were selected by convenient non-probability methods. With a gestational age of 28-30 weeks, they were divided into two groups of sleep disorder and normal sleep by The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Questionnaire. They were homogenized as for the confounders. On 38-40 weeks, sleep disorder was measured again and they completed the beck Questionnaire. 11.4 % of women with normal sleep and 56.2 % of women with sleep disorder (measured on the 28-30 weeks) were found depressed on 38-40 weeks and sleep disorder had increased the chances of depression by 9 times.(p < 0/001) 14.6 % of women with normal sleep and 56.9 % of women with sleep disorder (measured on the 38-40 weeks) were found depressed and sleep disorder had increased the chances of depression by 7 times.(p < 0/001) our findings indicated that sleep quality at early third trimester and late third trimester in pregnancy predicted higher levels of depressive symptoms at later stage in pregnancy.