Male child preference: is it a risk factor for antenatal depression among Iranian women?

Background: Male child preference is a phenomenon in decline in Asian women. However, it continues to exert hidden pressure on childbearing women in developing countries to dispose them to depression during pregnancy. Aims: This study assessed the prevalence of antenatal depression and hypothesised that maternal perception of a family's male child preference was an independent risk factor for depression. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 780 pregnant women who attended routine antenatal appointments and were assessed using the Iranian version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). The questionnaire investigated sociodemographic characteristics and some possible risk factors, including maternal perception of male child preference in the family. Analysis was done using χ² tests to assess the relationship between variables. Findings: The prevalence of antenatal depression was 20.1%. Maternal perception of male child preference was common and was associated with antenatal depression. Husbands and their families were found to prefer to have a male child. Conclusions: Consideration of the male child preference as an independent risk factor is important for health care providers to prevent depression.