Screening for postpartum depression. An antepartum questionnaire

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Psychiatry
• Mental Health Screening

Background:

• Postpartum depression (PPD) is a significant concern affecting maternal well-being.
• Early identification of women at risk for PPD is crucial for timely intervention.
• Existing screening methods may not be optimal for antepartum use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an antepartum questionnaire (APQ) for screening postpartum depressive symptoms (PPDS).
• To identify key predictive variables for PPDS from demographic and clinical data.

Main Methods:

• Collected demographic and clinical data from 106 pregnant women (sample I).
• Administered Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) at 1, 6, and 12 weeks postpartum.
• Used stepwise linear regression to identify 24 predictive variables for the APQ.
• Validated the APQ retrospectively and prospectively in two independent samples (n=106 and n=99).

Main Results:

• The APQ demonstrated acceptable sensitivity (80-82%) and specificity (78-82%) in both samples.
• The incidence of PPDS increased from 10% to 17% by six weeks postpartum.
• The percentage of women with more than mild depressive symptoms rose from 30% at 1 week to 47% at 12 weeks postpartum.

Conclusions:

• The developed antepartum questionnaire (APQ) is a reliable tool for screening postpartum depressive symptoms (PPDS).
• The APQ facilitates early detection, enabling prompt therapeutic interventions.
• This screening tool can improve maternal mental health outcomes.