Jarurin Pitanupong

Clinical applications of anxiety, social support, stressors, and self‐esteem measured during pregnancy and postpartum for screening postpartum depression in Thai women

Aim:  To assess the clinical applications of anxiety, social support, stressors and self‐esteem as well as the Postpartum Depression Risk Scale (PDRS), measured during pregnancy and postpartum, for screening postpartum depression.

Validation of the Thai Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale for screening postpartum depression

This study aimed to validate and determine an appropriate cut-off score on the Thai Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) as a screen for postpartum depression. A prospective cohort of postpartum women at 6-8 weeks were tested using the EPDS and clinically interviewed by psychiatrists to establish a DSM-IV diagnosis of major or minor depressions in a university hospital in Southern Thailand. Of 351 postpartum women interviewed, 38 postpartum women met the criteria for depressive disorders, major depression in four women (1%) and minor depressive disorder in 34 women (10%). The area under the curve was 0.84 (95% confidence interval 0.76-0.91). Using an EPDS cut-off sum score of 6/7, major and/or minor depression was detected with a sensitivity of 74%, specificity of 74%, positive predictive value of 26% and negative predictive value of 95%. When the cut-off score was higher, the sensitivity was lower but the specificity was higher. The Thai version of the EPDS is a valid self-report instrument and is useful in Thailand where no other screening instrument for postpartum depression is available.