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Anxious and depressive components of Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in maternal postpartum psychological problems1)

  • Angela Petrozzi and Luigi Gagliardi EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: February 21, 2013
Journal of Perinatal Medicine
From the journal Journal of Perinatal Medicine Volume 41 Issue 4

Abstract

Background: The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is a widely used instrument for screening for postpartum depression, but it might also detect anxiety symptoms.

Objective: To investigate the factor structure of the EPDS administered immediately after delivery and to understand which factors predict a high EPDS score 3 months later.

Methods: A cohort of 594 Italian mothers delivering a healthy baby at Versilia Hospital completed the EPDS at two points in time: 2 days after delivery (T0) and 3 months later (T1) by telephone interview.

Results: EPDS scores were higher at T0 than at T1. Overall, 15.7% of women at 2 days postpartum and 7.6% at 3 months later reported a score >9. The factor analysis of EPDS at T0 indicated a three-factor structure: “depression” (items 7–10), “anxiety” (items 3–6) and “anhedonia” (items 1–2). Anxious symptoms were quantitatively more important than depressive ones (mean 3.9 vs. 1.2) but tended to spontaneously ameliorate at T1, whereas total EPDS score at T1 was better predicted by depressive symptoms at T0 (discriminative ability 0.75 vs. 0.68).

Conclusions: This study suggests that EPDS subscales immediately after delivery help understand the spectrum of maternal postpartum psychological problems. Anxious symptoms immediately after delivery are frequent but transient, linked probably to maternity blues or atypical depression, whereas the presence of depressive symptomatology at T0 suggests higher risk of later depressive disorders.

Keywords: Anxiety symptoms; depression symptoms; Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale; factor analysis; predictive validity
Corresponding author: Dr Luigi Gagliardi, Pediatrics and Neonatology Division, Woman and Child Health Department, Ospedale Versilia, Via Aurelia 335, I-55043 Lido di Camaiore (LU), Italy, Tel.: +39 0584 6057161, Fax: +39 0584 6059764

“This study was supported by a grant from Piccole Stelle Onlus to AP.” [Piccole stelle is a non-profit organization].

  1. 1)

    These data were presented in part at the 48th meeting of the European Society for Paediatric Research, Prague, Czech Republic, October 6–8, 2007.

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The authors stated that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this article

Received: 2012-10-20
Accepted: 2013-1-11
Published Online: 2013-02-21
Published in Print: 2013-07-01

©2013 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston

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  1. Masthead
  2. Masthead
  3. Review article
  4. Anxious and depressive components of Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in maternal postpartum psychological problems1)
  5. Original Articles – Obstetrics
  6. Isolated low-normal amniotic fluid volume in the early third trimester: association with adverse perinatal outcomesa
  7. Trends in twin pregnancies and mode of delivery during the last 30 years: inconsistency between guidelines and clinical practice
  8. Prenatal care in adult women exposed to childhood sexual abuse
  9. Maternal and fetal adropin levels in gestational diabetes mellitus
  10. Ethnic disparities in perinatal mortality at 40 and 41 weeks of gestation
  11. Polymorphisms in the activin A receptor type 2A gene affect the onset time and severity of preeclampsia in the Turkish population
  12. Outcome of isolated fetal renal pyelectasis diagnosed during midtrimester screening ultrasound and cut-off value to predict a persistent or progressive pyelectasis in utero
  13. A polymorphism in an autophagy-related gene, ATG16L1, influences time to delivery in women with an unfavorable cervix who require labor induction
  14. Management of gestational hypertension – the impact of HYPITATa
  15. Reliability of quantitative elastography of the uterine cervix in at-term pregnancies
  16. Congenital anomalies, prematurity, and low birth weight rates in relation to nuclear power plant proximity1)
  17. Original Articles – Fetus
  18. Fetal magnetic resonance imaging of lymphangiomas
  19. Original Articles – Newborn
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  21. Improving admission temperature in extremely low birth weight infants: a hospital-based multi-intervention quality improvement project
  22. Short Communication
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  24. Congress Calendar
  25. Congress Calendar
https://doi.org/10.1515/jpm-2012-0258
Keywords for this article
Anxiety symptoms; depression symptoms; Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale; factor analysis; predictive validity

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Masthead
  2. Masthead
  3. Review article
  4. Anxious and depressive components of Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in maternal postpartum psychological problems1)
  5. Original Articles – Obstetrics
  6. Isolated low-normal amniotic fluid volume in the early third trimester: association with adverse perinatal outcomesa
  7. Trends in twin pregnancies and mode of delivery during the last 30 years: inconsistency between guidelines and clinical practice
  8. Prenatal care in adult women exposed to childhood sexual abuse
  9. Maternal and fetal adropin levels in gestational diabetes mellitus
  10. Ethnic disparities in perinatal mortality at 40 and 41 weeks of gestation
  11. Polymorphisms in the activin A receptor type 2A gene affect the onset time and severity of preeclampsia in the Turkish population
  12. Outcome of isolated fetal renal pyelectasis diagnosed during midtrimester screening ultrasound and cut-off value to predict a persistent or progressive pyelectasis in utero
  13. A polymorphism in an autophagy-related gene, ATG16L1, influences time to delivery in women with an unfavorable cervix who require labor induction
  14. Management of gestational hypertension – the impact of HYPITATa
  15. Reliability of quantitative elastography of the uterine cervix in at-term pregnancies
  16. Congenital anomalies, prematurity, and low birth weight rates in relation to nuclear power plant proximity1)
  17. Original Articles – Fetus
  18. Fetal magnetic resonance imaging of lymphangiomas
  19. Original Articles – Newborn
  20. Brainstem dysgenesis during the neonatal period: diagnosis and management
  21. Improving admission temperature in extremely low birth weight infants: a hospital-based multi-intervention quality improvement project
  22. Short Communication
  23. Periconceptional use of folic acid and risk of miscarriage – findings of the Oral Cleft Prevention Program in Brazil
  24. Congress Calendar
  25. Congress Calendar
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