PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS DURING THE ANTENATAL AND POSTPARTUM PERIODS IN SOUTH ASIAN WOMEN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Abstract

Background: Despite the global recognition of psychological symptoms during the antenatal and postpartum periods, there are many cases where symptoms like anxiety, PTSD, depression etc. are ignored due to the misconceptions about mental health. As a result, several difficulties may occur in daily life which could increase psychological distress. Thus, it’s highly recommended to timely identify these symptoms to improving maternal mental health. However, limited data collected from South Asian countries makes it difficult to develop a comprehensive understanding of the symptoms and the factors associated with them in this region. Therefore, this systematic review aims to synthesize the existing evidence on psychological symptoms experienced by women during the antenatal and postpartum periods in South Asia and examine the factors associated with these symptoms. Methods: A systematic review applied PRISMA for guidelines and checklists where published studies during the timeline of 2008-2026 were selected using JSTOR, PubMed, and google scholar were used to for carrying out an extensive systematic review. Results: A Thematic analysis emerged from analyzing 49 articles conclusively devised 6 themes related to Psychological Symptoms during Antenatal and Postpartum Period such as: Financial Hardships & Demographic Risk Factors, Obstetric Issues, Sociocultural and Gender Based Influence, and the Impact of Maternal Psychological Symptoms. Conclusion:  Psychological symptoms were widely reported during the antenatal and postpartum periods where depression and anxiety were consistent symptoms present. Moreover, it is suggested that early identification is important and that appropriate psychological support should be available during pregnancy and postpartum.