BACKGROUND:The reported rates of perinatal depression range from 10% to 15%. Many communities have limited resources for diagnosis and treatment of depression.OBJECTIVE:The purposes of this descriptive study were to evaluate the feasibility of screening women over time for perinatal depression and making appropriate referrals for diagnosis and treatment.DESIGN:Registered nurses, including community health nurses and a midwife, attempted to screen clients during the prenatal period and at 72 hours and 6 weeks postpartum. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was used.RESULTS:Registered nurses were able to screen 180 women at least one time. Based on the initial screen, 63 (35%) women screened positive for depression and had the potential to be referred to a licensed social worker for diagnosis and/or treatment.CONCLUSION:Registered nurses were successful in screening for perinatal depression and making appropriate referrals. Longitudinal screening was difficult due to client refusal to be screened, participants being lost to follow-up, and/or moving outside the designated census tracts. Consistent with the literature, 10.6% of women were diagnosed with a depressive disorder.
American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
2.
Areias, M. E., Kumar, R., Barros, H., & Figueiredo, E. (1996). Correlates of postnatal depression in mothers and fathers. British Journal of Psychiatry, 169, 36-41.
3.
Cox, J. L., Holden, J. M., & Sagovsky, R. (1987). Detection of postnatal depression: Development of the 10-item Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. British Journal of Psychiatry, 150, 782-786.
4.
Da Costa, D., Larouche, J., Dritsa, M., & Brender, W. (2000). Psychosocial correlates of prepartum and postpartum depressed mood. Journal of Affective Disorders, 59, 31-40.
5.
Evans, J. E., Heron, J., Francomb, H., Oke, S., & Golding, J. (2001). Cohort study of depressed mood during pregnancy and after childbirth. BMJ, 323, 257-260.
6.
First, M. B., Spitzer, R. L., Gibbon, M., & Williams, J. B. W. (1996). Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.
7.
Hammen, C., & Brennan, P. (2003). Severity, chronicity, and timing of maternal depression and risk for adolescent offspring diagnoses in a community sample. Archives of General Psychiatry, 60, 253-258.
8.
Howell, E., Mora, P., Horowitz, D., & Leventhal, H. (2005). Racial and ethnic differences in factors associated with early postpartum depressive symptoms. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 105, 1442-1450.
Scholle, S.H., & Kelleher, K. (2003). Preferences for depression advice among low-income women. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 7, 95-102.
11.
Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network. (2002). Postnatal depression and puerperal psychosis: A national clinical guideline. Retrieved October 25, 2005, from www.sign.ac.uk
12.
Swendsen, J.D., & Mazure, C.M. (2000). Life stress as a risk factor for postpartum depression: Current research and methodological issues. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 7(1), 17-31.
13.
Yonkers, K.A., Ramin, S.M., Rush, A.J., Navarrete, C.A., Carmody, T., March, D., et al. (2001). Onset and persistence of postpartum depression in an inner-city maternal health clinic system. American Journal of Psychiatry, 158, 1856-1863.
14.
Zuckerman, B., Amaro, H., Bauchner, H., & Cabral, H. (1989). Depressive symptoms during pregnancy: Relationship to poor health behaviors. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 160, 1107-1111.
