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Updated: Apr 15, 2026
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Perinatal depression screening in a Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program: perception of feasibility and
Karen M Tabb1, Shinwoo Choi1, Maria Pineros-Leano1
1School of Social Work, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
Objective:
Best practices for addressing women's mental health and screening for depression in public health clinics are not available. Clinic staff are often responsible for screening for depression; however, few studies examine staff perceptions on feasibility and acceptability of using perinatal screening for mood disorders in ethnically diverse public health clinics.
Methods:
During December 2012, we conducted four focus groups using a semistructured interview guide with public health clinic staff of varying disciplines (n=25) in a Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. All interviews were audio recorded and analyzed using thematic analysis.
Results:
We found five descriptive themes related to acceptability and feasibility of screening for perinatal depression in a public health clinic. The main themes include (1) literacy barriers, (2) need for referrals and follow-up with outside services, (3) training and capacity needs, (4) stigma of depression, and (5) location and privacy of screening. Although multiple barriers to universal depression screening in a public health clinic were identified, participants found value in practice of screening low-income women for depression.
Conclusion:
Factors for facilitating implementation of systematic depression screening in a public health clinic have been identified. Implications discuss how policy makers and public health clinic administrators can improve the universal depression screening process.
