Integration of Mental Health Screening into Antenatal Care at Public Hospitals in Kwara State

Perinatal mental health disorders, including antenatal depression and anxiety, affect a significant proportion of pregnant women in Nigeria yet are rarely screened for or addressed within routine antenatal care, representing a major gap in comprehensive maternal health service delivery. This study assesses the integration of mental health screening into antenatal care at public hospitals in Kwara State, North Central Nigeria. Eight public hospitals providing antenatal care in Ilorin East, Moro, and Offa LGAs were assessed through structured interviews with 25 antenatal care providers and review of 200 antenatal case records. Awareness and training in perinatal mental health were evaluated, alongside availability of validated screening tools and referral pathways. No facility used a validated perinatal mental health screening tool such as the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Fewer than 20 percent of antenatal care providers had received any training in perinatal mental health recognition. Referral pathways to psychiatric services were documented in 37 percent of facilities. Qualitative interviews revealed that antenatal staff viewed mental health as outside their clinical scope. Professional recommendations include Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale integration into Kwara State antenatal booking assessments, perinatal mental health training for all antenatal care providers, and formal psychiatric referral pathways at all public hospitals providing antenatal care. Keywords: perinatal mental health, antenatal screening, Kwara State, depression, maternal mental health