Screening for antenatal maternal depression: comparative performance of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and...

Maternal antenatal depression affects 21-28% of expectants globally and negatively impacts both maternal and child health in the short and long term.

To compare the psychometric properties and clinical utility of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) in pregnant individuals.

In this cross-sectional study, 953 third-trimester pregnant Italian individuals completed both the EPDS and the PHQ-9.

Both scales demonstrated good internal consistency (EPDS ω=0.83, PHQ-9 ω=0.80) and a moderate correlation between their scores (r=0.59). Concordance at recommended cut-off points (≥14 for both) was moderate (k=0.55). Factor analyses indicated a bifactor solution for the EPDS (dimensions: "depression" and "anxiety") and for the PHQ-9 (dimensions: "depression", "pregnancy symptoms", "somatic"). Benchmarks for clinical change were also established.

The EPDS and PHQ-9 capture distinct aspects of perinatal depressive symptomatology. Clinically, these findings recommend using both scales in obstetric and gynaecologic settings to minimize false positives and negatives.