Title: Late Postpartum Depression and Associated Factors: Community-based Cross-sectional
Study
Version: 0 Date: 24 Feb 2023
Reviewer's report:
Overall:
• The document is well written, though there are some comments and questions:
• The document needs revision on the grammar and punctuation mark use
• Make sure that the spacing is similar throughout the document
Background
• Please correct the sequence of the paragraph in the background section. Make sure the ideas
in the background has a good flow of idea:
o In the fourth paragraph you stated the impact of PPD, then in the fifth paragraph you stated
the prevalence, and in the sixth paragraph, you repeated the consequences. It will be better if
you merge the fourth and sixth paragraph because both talks about the effect of PPD.
o It will also be more convenient if the paragraph about the prevalence precedes the effect of PPD
o The sentence on the 8th paragraph “Late postpartum depression (LPPD) is a late-onset
depression that happened a few weeks after delivery to eighteen months of the post-natal period”
would be better if merged with paragraph one.
Method section
• Merge the sentence “A community-based cross-sectional study design was employed.” In the
first sentence in the study design section.
• Your study population and source population are similar. You need to state them clearly
including from where you are going to get them
•  Why do you want to include mothers who are only # 18 years old, age could be one factor
for PPD
• You have studied the substance uses and behavior of male partners what about the mother’s
substance uses and behavior? Wouldn’t it affect the occurrence of PPD?
• when you operationalize “late postpartum depression” it will be more explanatory if you state
it in weeks or days because the term early postpartum period also needs an additional definition
• In the “Sampling Techniques” please state which type of sampling method you used. If it is a
systematic random sampling method write what was the K value you used.
• In the “Data collection tool” section it will be better if you include the sensitivity and the
specificity of the tool you used.
• The second paragraph on “Data Quality Control and Assurance” which tells about the tools
you used should be part of the subtitle “Data collection tool”
Result
• On table 3 you have stated the variable named “Partner index of pregnancy during current
baby”. You should include the variable in the method section and it needs to be operationalized
to make it clear.
•  On table 4 you classified Maternal Social Support into two groups low and high, but in the
method section, you stated that it has 3 classifications: please include the result of the medium
ones.
• Under the title “Factors Associated with Late Postpartum Depression in Arba Mich town,
Gamo Zone, Southern Ethiopia, 2022” you can remove paragraphs 3,4 & 5 since the result is
clearly stated in table 5 and it will be repeated.
• Table 5: the variables and categories are difficult to differentiate please try to adjust the variable
names or the font size according to the journal guideline
Discussion
• Please merge paragraphs one and two.
• You have provided a good discussion on Partner Khat use, but it will be good if you use
different literature to support your justification
• Make sure all the references are up-to-date