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. 2014 Oct;6(5):374-8.
doi: 10.14740/jocmr1883w. Epub 2014 Jul 28.

Validation of the edinburgh postpartum depression scale in a population of adult pregnant women in Mexico

Cosme Alvarado-Esquivel  1 , Antonio Sifuentes-Alvarez  2 , Carlos Salas-Martinez  3
Affiliations

Validation of the edinburgh postpartum depression scale in a population of adult pregnant women in Mexico

Cosme Alvarado-Esquivel et al. J Clin Med Res. 2014 Oct.

Abstract

Background: The Edinburgh postnatal depression scale (EPDS) is useful for screening depression in puerperal women as well as women during pregnancy. However, such instrument should be validated in a given language before it can be used. There is not validated Mexican version of the EPDS for use in adult pregnant women. Therefore, we sought to validate a Spanish translated Mexican version of the EPDS in a population of adult pregnant women.

Methods: One hundred fifty-eight adult women (mean age: 28 ± 6.8 years; range: 18 - 45 years) within their 2 - 9 months of pregnancy attending routine prenatal consultations in a public hospital in Durango City, Mexico were studied. All pregnant women submitted a Spanish translated Mexican version of the EPDS. In addition, participants were assessed for major and minor depression by using the DSM-IV criteria.

Results: Of the 158 pregnant women studied, 11 had major depression and 26 had minor depression by the DSM-IV criteria. The best EPDS score for screening combined major and minor depression in adult pregnant women was 9/10. This threshold showed a sensitivity of 75.7%, a specificity of 74.4%, a positive predictive value of 50.8%, a negative predictive value of 94.7% and an area under the curve of 0.89 (95% confidence interval: 0.71 - 1.06).

Conclusion: The Mexican version of the EPDS can be considered for screening depression in Mexican adult pregnant women whenever a cut-off score of 9/10 is used.

Keywords: Depression; Mexico; Pregnancy; Validation study.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A receiver operating characteristic curve that shows different cut-off points of the EPDS in pregnant women. Good performance of the Mexican version of the EPDS in these women was found at 9/10 cut-off point.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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