Validation of the Edinburgh postnatal depression scale (EPDS) for screening of major depressive episode among adults from the general population

Abstract

BackgroundStandardized questionnaires designed for the identification of depression are useful for monitoring individual as well as population mental health. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) has originally been developed to assist primary care health professionals to detect postnatal depression, but several authors recommend its use outside of the postpartum period. In Brazil, the use of the EPDS for screening depression outside the postpartum period and among non-selected populations has not been validated. The present study aimed to assess the validity of the EPDS as a screening instrument for major depressive episode (MDE) among adults from the general population.MethodsThis is a validation study that used a population-based sampling technique to select the participants. The study was conducted in the city of Pelotas, Brazil. Households were randomly selected by two stage conglomerates with probability proportional to size. EPDS was administered to 447 adults (≥20 years). Approximately 17 days later, participants were reinterviewed by psychiatrics and psychologists using a structured diagnostic interview (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, MINI). We calculated the sensitivity and specificity of each cutoff point of EPDS, and values were plotted as a receiver operator characteristic curve.ResultsThe best cutoff point for screening depression was ≥8, with 80.0% (64.4 - 90.9%) sensitivity and 87.0% (83.3 - 90.1%) specificity. Among women the best cutoff point was ≥8 too with values of sensitivity and specificity of 84.4% (67.2 – 94.7%) and 81.3% (75.5 – 86.1%), respectively. Among men, the best cutoff point was ≥7 (75% sensitivity and 89% specificity).ConclusionsThe EPDS was shown to be suitable for screening MDE among adults in the community.

Association between maternal depressive symptoms with child malnutrition or child excess weight

“…In this interview, the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) was applied. [16][17][18] The weight of children was measured using Filizola ® electronic scales, by direct measurement with minimum clothes for children ≥ 2 years. The length was measured by Alturexata ® wood anthropometer.…”

“…This study considered the cut-off point ≥ 12 to indicate maternal depressive symptoms. [16][17][18] The data were analyzed by the Stata ® software version 12.0 (Stata Corp., College Station, USA). Descriptive and analytical analysis were used for sociodemographic variables, nutritional status of the child and maternal depressive symptoms evaluated by the CES-D and EPDS scales, describing mean, standard deviation and frequency distribution.…”

Comparison of the classification ratios of four depression rating scales commonly used in Turkey

“…It is also stated that such measuring instruments possess many favorable characteristics, such as good psychometric qualities, convenient number of items, being understandable, free of charge, and easily accessible [14,15].…”

The Psychometric Validation of the EPDS-K Among Korean Women: Does It Only Measure Depressive Symptoms?

“…Although the diagnosis between depression and depressive symptoms should be made through a structured clinical interview (Melville, Gavin, Guo, Fan, & Katon, ), the phenomenon of depression has been integrated with depressive symptoms and used reciprocally (Field, ; Lee et al., ). Standardized questionnaires with good psychometric properties assist healthcare providers in making the clinical decision to refer patients to mental health specialists (Matijasevich et al., ). Because the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is easy to use and score and can be quickly administered to screen women at high risk for depression, it has been commonly used in a variety of cultural settings for women in the antenatal and postnatal periods around the world (Lau, Wang, Yin, Chan, & Guo, ; Matijasevich et al., ; Räisänen et al., ).…”