The behavior over time of postnatal depression symptomatology and its early detection via the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale: An Italian longitudinal study

Abstract

Background: Becoming a mother for the first time is a significant developmental transition and postpartum mood disorders represents the most frequent form of maternal morbidity following delivery.Objective: To investigate the ability of Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) to detect, in the first days postpartum, mothers at risk of developing depressive symptomatology over time.Results: The percentage of mothers with an EPDS score ≥10 decreases over time: 23.77% at 2/5 days postpartum, 15.57% at 2 months and 9.02% at 6 months after delivery. Among mothers with a depressive symptomatology after 2/5 days postpartum, 41.38% maintained an EPDS score ≥10 at 2 months too, while 20.69% of them manifested depressive symptoms at 6 months as well. Both correlation and linear regression showed a significant association between EPDS scores in all three administrations of the study but EPDS score at 2/5 days postpartum is more associated and predictive to maternal mood at two months than at six months postpartum.Method: A longitudinal study was conducting on 122 primiparous mothers who filled out EPDS and a General Information Questionnaire at 2/5 days postpartum, at 2/3 and 6/7 months after delivery. Women with high EPDS scores (≥10) were compared to those who had scored <10 in all the three steps and longitudinal analysis were conducted.Conclusion: Implementing EPDS in the first week postpartum allows identifying women at high risk to maintain depressive symptoms over time. These findings could be useful for health care interventions after delivery and for researchers involved in the study of transcultural aspects of postnatal depression.

An epidemiological study of postnatal depression among women availing maternal health services in rural areas of Belagavi, Karnataka, India

“…[13][14][15] Similar study done in other countries showed the prevalence 23.77%, 30% and 9.2%. 1,11,16 The prevalence was quite low in the present study compared to the above studies. This may be due to good and proper postnatal care was given to the women in the study area.…”

“…For women childbirth represents a time of great vulnerability to become mentally unwell and postpartum mood disorders representing the most frequent form of maternal morbidity following delivery. 1 Maternal mental ill health is one of untouched part of maternal and child health. There is a range of mental illness that women may experience during pregnancy and after delivery: antenatal and postpartum stress, anxiety, depression, and psychosis.…”

Effect of family member’s counseling on postnatal perceived stress in Iranian women: a Randomized Controlled Trial

“…General Health Questionnaire (GHQ 28 ) was used to screen the subjects' mental health. The GHQ 28 consists of four subscales including somatic symptoms (items 1-7), anxiety/insomnia (items [8][9][10][11][12][13][14], social dysfunction (items 15-21) and severe depression (items [22][23][24][25][26][27][28]. All items are responded on a 4-point Likert scale of none, mild, moderate, and severe which were scored from zero to three.…”

“…First-time mothers may feel uncertain about their capabilities to care of newborn [7]. They often feel devastated, extremely tired, and abandoned in their new roles [8,9]. Studies have indicated that first-time mothers are at a higher risk of postpartum mental disorders in compare to multiparous women [10][11][12].…”

The Association between Depressive State and Maternal Cognitive Function in Postpartum Women

“…In contrast to the DSM-5 definition for postpartum depression, which aims to diagnose major depression in postpartum women within a defined time frame; the EPDS test serves as an initial screening questionnaire designed to demonstrate the likelihood of perinatal depression and is widely used based on ACOG recommendations. 10,17 The questionnaire consists of 10 self-estimation questions, in which women are asked to rate their mood in the past seven days. Women are then classified according to their score: a score of less than 10 defines a woman at low risk for depression (comparison group), while a score of 10 or greater defines women at high risk for depression (study group).…”