The screening accuracy of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) to detect perinatal depression with and without the self-harm item in pregnant and postpartum women
Background This study aims to examine whether the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), excluding the self-harm item (EPDS-9), performs as effectively as the full EPDS in identifying depression among perinatal women.Methods A total of 3571 pregnant women and 3850 postpartum women participated...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Group
2024-12-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/0167482X.2024.2404967 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | Background This study aims to examine whether the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), excluding the self-harm item (EPDS-9), performs as effectively as the full EPDS in identifying depression among perinatal women.Methods A total of 3571 pregnant women and 3850 postpartum women participated in this observational study. Participants who scored ≥ 9 on the EPDS underwent further diagnostic evaluations by a clinical psychologist and/or psychiatrist.Results The EPDS-9 and full EPDS demonstrated a near-perfect correlation in both the antepartum (r = 0.996) and postpartum (r = 0.998) cohorts. EPDS-9 showed exceptional precision in identifying depression as screened by the full EPDS at cutoff points ranging 9–14, with areas under the curve ≥0.998. The sensitivity of EPDS-9 and full EPDS to detect depression that requires psychotropic medications was poor. The highest accuracy for both versions was at a cutoff score of 9: sensitivity of 0.579 for the full EPDS and 0.526 for the EPDS-9. At the cutoff point of 9, EPDS-9 performed adequately in predicting the response of the participants to the self-harm item.Conclusion The EPDS-9 represents a solid and effective replacement for the full EPDS in clinical settings. If the presence of suicidal thoughts needs to be assessed, specialized scales should be used. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0167-482X 1743-8942 |