More than 6 in 10 pregnant and postpartum women in the Philippines are experiencing clinically significant symptoms of depression, according to new research that highlights a mental health crisis among Filipino mothers. The findings point to rates far exceeding the global average, raising urgent questions about the adequacy of maternal mental health support in the country.
The cross-sectional study, published in BMJ Open, surveyed 856 women recruited from maternal care facilities and online across the Philippines between late 2023 and mid-2024. Using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, a widely used screening tool for perinatal depression, researchers found that 69.1% of pregnant women and 62.0% of postpartum women reported symptoms above the clinically significant threshold. The global average for perinatal depression in low and middle-income countries sits at around 25%, making the Philippine figures particularly striking.
Depressive symptoms were consistently high regardless of where women were in their pregnancy or how many months had passed since giving birth. This pattern held from the first trimester through to more than two years after delivery, suggesting that perinatal mental health problems in the Philippines are not simply a short-term adjustment issue but a persistent and largely unaddressed burden.
The research identified several groups at heightened risk. Young mothers aged 18 to 24 were significantly more likely to report postpartum depression than older women, and single mothers were 42% more likely to experience clinically significant symptoms compared with married women living with their spouses. Researchers suggest that unintended pregnancy, stigma, financial pressure, and social isolation may all contribute to the elevated risk in these groups.
One of the clearest protective factors to emerge from the data was adequate prenatal care. Women who attended a sufficient number of antenatal visits were less likely to report depressive symptoms during both pregnancy and the postpartum period. This finding adds to a growing body of evidence that regular contact with healthcare providers during pregnancy offers benefits that extend beyond physical health outcomes.
The researchers note that the Philippines currently lacks any national policy requiring routine mental health screening during the perinatal period. This stands in contrast to the country’s relatively well-developed maternal health programmes for physical care. The authors call on the Philippine public health system to strengthen the implementation of the Mental Health Act and to integrate psychological screening and support into standard maternal and child health services.
The study was part of the broader COCOON Global Collaboration, coordinated through Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth. Although the sample was not fully nationally representative and relied partly on online recruitment, the researchers found no significant differences in depression scores between those recruited online and those seen face-to-face.
Perinatal depression, if left untreated, can have lasting effects on mothers and their children, including poorer developmental outcomes for infants and reduced health-seeking behaviour among mothers. The authors argue that early intervention programmes and psychosocial support targeted at younger and socially disadvantaged mothers are now essential.