Transient vs enduring distress in late pregnancy using the EPDS: a brief longitudinal exploratory study

Background and Objective: The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is widely used to detect perinatal distress in women by one single administration. Recently, research has shown that during early pregnancy around half of the women scoring as 'possibly depressed' on the EPDS only ha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of reproductive and infant psychology 2019-10, Vol.37 (5), p.513-526
Main Authors: Agostini, Francesca, Matthey, Stephen, Minelli, Marianna, Dellabartola, Sara, Bonapace, Silvia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Clinical assessment
Clinical research
Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale
enduring distress
Mental health services
Perinatal
perinatal depression
Postpartum depression
Postpartum period
Pregnancy
Psychological distress
Scores
Single women
Strength
transient distress
Women
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Summary:Background and Objective: The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is widely used to detect perinatal distress in women by one single administration. Recently, research has shown that during early pregnancy around half of the women scoring as 'possibly depressed' on the EPDS only have transient distress, when re-tested after few weeks. This finding may not occur if women are screened later in pregnancy, as their worries then may be more enduring; therefore an exploratory study was conducted to further investigate this issue. Methods: Pregnant women (N = 84) attending a public hospital in Italy completed the EPDS in their third trimester (x = 33 weeks) and again 8-42 days later (while still pregnant). They had not received professional mental health intervention in this time interval. Results: Approximately half of the women who initially scored high on the EPDS in late pregnancy no longer scored high just a few weeks later. Conclusions: Approximately half of women who initially score high on the EPDS when screened in pregnancy only have transient distress in both the second and third trimester. To label these women as being 'possibly depressed', and mixing them with women who show enduring distress, represents a possible weakness in research studies, and may also overburden clinical services. We would therefore recommend, as research and clinical practice, a second administration of the EPDS if a woman initially scores in the distressed range at any stage in pregnancy.
ISSN:0264-6838
1469-672X
DOI:10.1080/02646838.2019.1610730