Validation of the Sinhala translation of Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale

Abstract

Introduction To determine the validity and reliability of the Sinhalese translation of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) as a screening instrument to detect antenatal and postnatal depression.Method Two hundred and sixty five antenatal women and 204 postnatal women attending the field polyclinics of the Medical Officer of Health (MOH) area Kolonnawa participated in the study. Psychiatric diagnosis based on ICD 10 Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders was the 'gold standard' and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate the test performance of the translated EPDS for antenatal and postnatal depression separately. Reliability was tested using test-retest method and computing intra-class correlation coefficients.Results A cut-off score of 9 was selected as the best to screen for depression, in antenatal (sensitivity 90.7% and specificity 86.8%) and postnatal women (sensitivity 89.9% and specificity 78.9%). The intra-class correlation coefficients of the instrument for antenatal and postnatal women were 0.95 (95% CI = 0.82 -0.99) and 0.96 (95% CI = 0.86 -0.99). ConclusionThe Sinhalese translation of the EPDS is a valid and a reliable instrument to screen for depression in antenatal and postnatal women in Sri Lanka.

Antenatal Depression in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka and the Factor Structure of the Sinhalese Version of Edinburgh Post Partum Depression Scale among Pregnant Women

“…EPDS is translated and validated in Sri Lanka as a part of doctoral study and tested among a large scale study in Puttlum district in 2004. This validation study proposed a cut off value of 9 for antenatal women [17]. Subsequently, this validated version of EPDS has been used in several local research (mostly unpublished), including a national survey [18].…”

A study of psychological impact on women undergoing miscarriage at a Sri Lankan hospital setting

“…In this study, threshold levels for positive screening were set at scores of 6 for GHQ-30 and 9 for the EDPS. 14,15 The data analysis was done for comparison of the two groups for socio-demographic data as well as to describe the presence of psychological morbidity in each group and to determine the association between socio-demographic and obstetric data and psychological morbidity among women who underwent a miscarriage. Means, relative risks and odds ratios with confidence intervals were used for comparisons.…”

Rating Scales validated for Sri Lankan populations

“…The EPDS can be used within 8 weeks postpartum and it can also be used for depression screening during pregnancy. The Sinhala version of the EPDS has been validated among post natal and pregnant mothers in Sri Lanka in two separate studies (37,38). A Tamil translation has been validated in a rural population in Tamil Nadu, India (39).…”