Maternal Mental Health in a Squatter Settlement in Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

The literature on household-based measures of mental health in developing countries is limited. Much emphasis is currently placed on the physical well-being of mothers in relation to child care, yet their mental well-being receives little attention. The present study measures maternal mental health in the largest squatter settlement of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The proportion of mothers who were probable cases of mental ill-health was 36%.