OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine the association of prenatal depression screening and obstetrics clinician notification procedures with depression treatment use through 6 weeks postpartum. METHODS An initial sample of 1298 women was screened for depression as part of routine clinical care at their first prenatal care appointment using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale...

BACKGROUND To assess personality characteristics of women who develop perinatal depression. METHODS The study started with a screening of a sample of 453 women in their third trimester of pregnancy, to which was administered a survey data form, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory 2 (MMPI-2). A clinical group of subjects with peri...

BACKGROUND From 2000 a routine survey of mothers with newborn infants was commenced in South Western Sydney. The survey included the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors for postnatal depressive symptoms in women living in metropolitan Sydney, Australia. METHODS Mothers (n=15,389) delivering in 2002 and 2003 were as...

BACKGROUND This study assessed the association between timing and course of maternal depression from pregnancy onwards and children's cognitive development at ages 5 to 6. Potential interaction effects with child sex and family socioeconomic status were explored. METHODS One thousand thirty-nine mother-child pairs from the French EDEN mother-child birth cohort were followed from 24 to 28 week...

OBJECTIVES This study aimed (1) to investigate the pattern of perinatal depressive symptoms, and (2) to determine the relationships between sociodemographic characteristics, obstetric factors, antenatal morbidities, postnatal conditions, and perinatal depressive symptoms using a structural equation model (SEM). METHOD A three-wave prospective longitudinal design was used for 361 women in thei...

BACKGROUND Perinatal depression is strikingly common with a prevalence of 10-15%. The adverse effects of perinatal depression on maternal and child health are profound with considerable costs. Despite this, few women seek medical attention. E-health, providing healthcare via the Internet is an accessible and effective solution for the treatment of depression in the general population. We aimed ...

The aim of this study was to examine parent-child interactions 15–18 months postpartum, in families where the mother either showed depressive symptoms two months postpartum or did not. Maternal mood was assessed with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Eleven women scoring >12 (signs of depressive mood) and 14 women scoring <10 (no signs of depressive mood) on the EPDS and their pa...

This study analyzed the mediating role of fetal heart rate variability (FHR) on prenatal depression and neonatal neurobehavioral maturity. A sample of 104 pregnant women was recruited and divided into two groups according to their Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores (depressed/non-depressed). FHR variability in response to speech stimuli was assessed at term (between 37 and 39 we...

The objective of this study is to investigate the differences between Jordanian depressed women and non-depressed women in terms of their sociodemographic characteristics during their pregnancy. A convenience sample of 218 Jordanian pregnant women in their third trimester was selected for this study from three major Governorates in Jordan (Amman, Irbid and Zarqa), and the antenatal clinics of t...

BACKGROUND Social support is strongly implicated in the aetiology of perinatal mental disorder: particularly the quality of the marital and family environment. Family structures are important under-researched potential modifiers. Turkey offers particular advantages for research in this area because of long-standing coexistence of Western and Middle Eastern family structures. We aimed to investi...