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Validation of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale to assess maternal prenatal depression symptoms in Brazil: an
Márcia Leonardi Baldisserotto1, Mariza Miranda Theme-Filha2, Ana Claudia Santos Amaral3
1Instituto de Psicologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is a widely used tool for assessing depressive symptoms in mothers during the perinatal period. Although it has been validated for postpartum depression screening in Brazil, no study has yet validated its use for prenatal depression screening. Therefore, this study aimed to validate the EPDS for assessing maternal prenatal depression symptoms in Brazil. The study tested the unidimensional structure of the EPDS using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and evaluated its reliability using composite reliability (CR). EPDS parameters were also analyzed using Samejima's graded response model within an item response theory (IRT) framework. The results showed that the EPDS presented a unidimensional latent structure, with adequate construct validity (CFI = 0.974; TLI = 0.967; RMSEA = 0.072; 90%CI: 0.059-0.082) and reliability (CR = 0.91) for screening prenatal depression symptoms in Brazil. Additionally, the items showed satisfactory difficulty and discrimination parameters in IRT analyses. The total EPDS score provides more information than measurement error across a broad range of the latent trait (-2 to 4), indicating good accuracy and reliability. Overall, the EPDS seems to be an appropriate tool for screening maternal prenatal depression symptoms in Brazil.
The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is a widely used tool for assessing depressive symptoms in mothers during the perinatal period. Although it has been validated for postpartum depression screening in Brazil, no study has yet validated its use for prenatal depression screening. Therefore, this study aimed to validate the EPDS for assessing maternal prenatal depression symptoms in Brazil. The study tested the unidimensional structure of the EPDS using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and evaluated its reliability using composite reliability (CR). EPDS parameters were also analyzed using Samejima's graded response model within an item response theory (IRT) framework. The results showed that the EPDS presented a unidimensional latent structure, with adequate construct validity (CFI = 0.974; TLI = 0.967; RMSEA = 0.072; 90%CI: 0.059-0.082) and reliability (CR = 0.91) for screening prenatal depression symptoms in Brazil. Additionally, the items showed satisfactory difficulty and discrimination parameters in IRT analyses. The total EPDS score provides more information than measurement error across a broad range of the latent trait (-2 to 4), indicating good accuracy and reliability. Overall, the EPDS seems to be an appropriate tool for screening maternal prenatal depression symptoms in Brazil.