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Background: Maternal mental health has been associated with depression in previous studies. However, its prevalence, characteristics, and association with other background factors among women in Somalia, has not yet been investigated.

Aim: The aim of this study was to describe mental health among Somali women during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Methodology: This was a prospective cross-sectional study. Data was collected in Mogadishu Somalia in nine different MCHs. Besides sociodemographic and reproductive history data, two questionnaires were applied: PHQ-9 (depression symptoms) and SOC-13 (sense of coherence). The minimum and maximum score for PHQ-9 is 0-27, with cut off points in scores of ≥5, ≥10, and ≥15 representing mild, moderate, and severe levels of depression. For SOC-13 the minimum and maximum scores are 13 – 91, with no cut off points. Descriptive analysis as well as multiple and simple regression analysis were performed.

Results: Nine hundred women were interviewed. The mean age of the participants was 28.8. In terms of mental health problems, the mean for depression symptoms was 5.2 and the majority of the population did not present any significant depression symptoms (61.9 %). The mean score for sense of coherence scores was 59.7. The multiple regression analysis showed there was a significant relationship between depression symptoms and number of children (p <.001) but a non-significant one between depression and age of the women in the study (p .117). The linear regression analysis showed significant relationships between depression and sense of coherence (p <.001).

Conclusions: The prevalence of depression symptoms is low amongst women in Somalia, but still 37.7% of women reported depression symptoms. Nevertheless, a higher sense of coherence showed to be associated with lower level of depression symptoms. Therefore, implementing interventions to address depression symptoms, and strengthen sense of coherence in women who presented higher depression scores, could help improve mental health for women in Somalia.