Improving Maternal Depression Screening in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

To examine whether self-perceived benefits of mental health treatment differed between mothers of babies in the neonatal intensive care unit with and without a positive screen for depression based on their Edinburgh Postnatal Depression score.

Mothers were recruited in person pre-COVID-19 pandemic, and via phone call and online advertisement during the pandemic. Mothers completed a 10-item depression scale and whether they believed they would benefit from mental health treatment. A chi-square test determined the difference in perceived benefit between mothers who screened positively for depression and those who did not.

This secondary analysis included 205 mothers, with an average age of 29. Of the 68 mothers who screened positively for depression, 12 believed that would not benefit from mental health intervention. Of the 137 who screened negatively for depression, 18 believed they would benefit from mental health intervention. Mothers who screened negatively for depression were significantly less likely to believe they would benefit from mental health intervention.

Depression screening scales offer guidance on which mothers to flag for follow-up, but neither on how a mother will respond nor how to effectively approach a mother about her mental health. Nurses can improve identification and follow-up of depressed mothers in the neonatal intensive care unit by asking mothers about their perceived need for mental health treatment.