Mental Health · Postpartum Depression
Josefsson A et al., 2001 · Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand
Postnatal depression refers to a non-psychotic depressive episode that begins in or extends into the postpartum period. The aims of this study were to examine the prevalence of depressive symptoms in a pregnant and later postnatal population, to determine the natural course of these symptoms and whether there is an association between antenatal and postnatal depressive symptomatology. A longitudinal study with a total population of 1,558 consecutively registered pregnant women in the southeast region of Sweden. Presence of depressive symptoms was measured with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale on four occasions namely in gestational week 35-36, in the maternity ward, 6-8 weeks and 6 months postpartum. The prevalence of depressive symptoms during late pregnancy was 17%; in the maternity ward 18%; 6-8 weeks postnatally 13%; and 6 months postnatally, 13%. A correlation between antenatal and postnatal depressive symptoms was found (r=0.50, p<0.0001). Detection of women at risk for developing postnatal depressive symptoms can be done during late pregnancy. Antenatal care clinics constitute a natural and useful environment for recognition of women with depressive symptoms.
Mental Health · Depression Screening
Georgiopoulos AM et al., 2000 · Obstet Gynecol
To estimate the community prevalence in Olmsted County, Minnesota of elevated scores on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, a self-report screening tool for postpartum depression. At the 6-week postpartum visit, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was administered to women who gave birth in Olmsted County between July 28, 1997 and March 28, 1998. Study sites included all ambulatory clinics that provide pregnancy care in the county, and women who missed postpartum visits were contacted by mail. A threshold of 12 or more points on the scale was selected for clinical use; data for scores of ten and above were also examined. Of the 909 Olmsted County women studied (response rate 83.2%), 11.4% (n = 104) had scores of 12 or greater, with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 9.4%, 13.5%. The percentage of women with a positive screen increased to 19.8% (n = 180; 95% CI 17.2%, 22.4%) when scores of 10 or higher were included, as has been recommended for screening in primary care settings. Forty-eight or 5.3% of the subjects (95% CI 3.8%, 6.7%) indicated experiencing suicidal ideation during the previous week. More than 11% of women had elevated scores on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, indicating a high likelihood of postpartum depression and the need for further assessment. The screening process required little extra time and was acceptable to the subjects and clinicians. Screening for postpartum depression is appropriate and feasible for clinical practice and increases the identification of women suffering from this serious, common, and highly treatable disorder.
Mental Health · Postpartum Depression
Righetti-Veltema M et al., 1998 · J Affect Disord
Depressed new mothers usually do not seek and therefore do not receive any psychiatric help. In order to assess predictive signs of postpartum depression (PPD), an unselected sample of 570 women were seen by midwives during their pregnancy, using a questionnaire elaborated by ourselves and Derogatis' Hopkins Symptom Checklist. Three months after delivery each new mother was examined again by the same midwife using Cox' Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. The medical files were also examined. Of the new mothers, 58 (10.2%) suffered from PPD. Most significant factors were socio-professional difficulties, multiparity, deleterious life events, depressive mood prior to delivery, early mother-child separation and negative birth experience. The coping abilities of the depressed mother were decreased and her vulnerability to new stress factors increased. It is possible to detect women at risk for PPD already during pregnancy. We therefore elaborated a very simple, short predictive scale which is in the process of validation. Protective factors still have to be studied. Knowledge of these factors should help all caregivers to recognize, during pregnancy, women at risk for PPD, in order to initiate preventive and/or therapeutic measures.
Mental Health · Postpartum Depression
Stuart S et al., 1998 · J Nerv Ment Dis
A community-based sample of 107 women completed the Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale at 14 weeks postpartum and at 30 weeks postpartum. The point prevalence of anxiety was 8.7% at 14 weeks and 16.8% at 30 weeks postpartum. The point prevalence of depression was 23.3% at 14 weeks and 18.7% at 30 weeks postpartum. The incidence of anxiety during this time period was 10.28%, and the incidence of depression was 7.48%, indicating high incidences of both postpartum anxiety and depression later in the postpartum period. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was found to have a strong correlation with the State Anxiety Scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (r = .73 at 14 weeks, r = .82 at 30 weeks), suggesting that the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale may be a good screening instrument for anxiety as well as depression.