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. 2005 Mar;9(1):21-5.
doi: 10.1007/s10995-005-2448-2.

Prevalence of postpartum depression in a native American population

Lisa Baker  1 , Sandra Cross, Linda Greaver, Gou Wei, Regina Lewis; Healthy Start CORPS
Affiliations

Prevalence of postpartum depression in a native American population

Lisa Baker et al. Matern Child Health J. 2005 Mar.

Abstract

Objectives: Data were collected on postpartum depression from 151 women, ages 16-40 years who received postpartum health services from a rural obstetrical clinic in North Carolina between September 2002 and May 2003. Reflective of the racial and socio-economic makeup of the county, 60.9% of the sample were American Indian (Lumbee tribe) 25.8% were African American and 13.3% were Caucasian or other.

Methods: The Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS) was utilized to explore the prevalence of postpartum depression requiring clinical intervention in a largely unexplored population, minority women.

Results: The incidence of postpartum depression symptoms was over 23%, which is significantly higher than even the most liberal estimates in other populations. As with previous literature on risk factors, the sample demonstrates a strong association between symptoms of depression, history of depression and receiving treatment for depression.

Conclusions: The PDSS proved to be a clinically useful tool in this setting. Findings support the importance of implementing routine screening protocols to guide practice and implement support services.

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Comment in

  • Global maternal and child health.
    Buekens P. Buekens P. Matern Child Health J. 2005 Mar;9(1):1-2. doi: 10.1007/s10995-005-2445-5. Matern Child Health J. 2005. PMID: 15880968 No abstract available.

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