The Role of Nurses in Perinatal Depression Screening and Intervention: An Exploratory Study

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Mental Health
• Perinatal Care

Background:

• Effective perinatal mental health care integration into primary care presents challenges.
• This study explores nurses' experiences and skills in identifying perinatal depression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To survey nurses regarding their practice, experience, and skills in identifying perinatal depression.
• To understand nurses' perceived role in screening for perinatal mental health issues.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional survey administered to 101 nurses in Obstetrics/Gynecology and Neonatology.
• Focus group discussions conducted to elaborate on survey findings.

Main Results:

• 32.7% of nurses frequently encountered women needing mental health assessment; 27.8% referred them to services.
• 58.4% of nurses were familiar with perinatal depression screening tools.
• Nurses expressed openness to mental health education and identified knowledge gaps, time constraints, and stigma as barriers, while patient accessibility and communication ease were facilitators.

Conclusions:

• Nurses showed awareness of perinatal depression and strong interest in further training.
• Nurses felt confident incorporating depression screening into routine perinatal care.