DATASET ON SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC PREDICTORS OF HELP-SEEKING FOR POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION IN NORTHERN NIGERIA

Postpartum depression (PPD) remains a hidden public health challenge in Northern Nigeria, where cultural expectations and socioeconomic disparities often silence women’s mental health needs. Guided by the Theory of Planned Behaviour, this study examined how demographic factors such as age, income, education, and number of children shape women’s help-seeking behaviour for PPD in Yobe and Niger States. Using data from 519 women of reproductive age, analysed through SmartPLS Structural Equation Modelling, the findings reveal that income exerted the strongest influence on help-seeking behaviour (β = 0.463), followed by education (β = 0.301), age (β = 0.243), and number of children (β = 0.171). These results underscore that economic capacity and educational attainment substantially enhance women’s perceived behavioural control and willingness to seek support. The study’s proposed Socio-Demographic Enabling Model (SDEM) reconceptualises these variables as structural determinants of psychological readiness for care. It concludes that improving women’s financial independence, access to education, and mental health literacy is vital to bridging the maternal mental health gap in Nigeria