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. 2017 Apr 11:23:1013.
doi: 10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v23i0.1013. eCollection 2017.

Validation of the Whooley questions for antenatal depression and anxiety among low-income women in urban South Africa

Carina Marsay  1 , Lenore Manderson  2 , Ugasvaree Subramaney  1   3
Affiliations

Validation of the Whooley questions for antenatal depression and anxiety among low-income women in urban South Africa

Carina Marsay et al. S Afr J Psychiatr. .

Abstract

Background/objective: In South Africa, approximately 40% of women suffer from depression during pregnancy. Although perinatal depression and anxiety are significant public health problems impacting maternal and infant morbidity and mortality, no routine mental health screening programmes exist in the country. A practical, accurate screening tool is needed to identify cases in these busy, resource-scarce settings.

Method: A convenience sample of 145 women between 22 and 28 weeks gestation was recruited from Rahima Moosa Hospital antenatal clinic in Johannesburg. All women completed a biographical interview, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), the Whooley questions and a structured clinical interview.

Results: The results demonstrate the sensitivity and specificity of the Whooley questions and the EPDS in identifying depression, anxiety and stress disorders of varying severity. The importance of personal, social and cultural context in influencing the content and expression of these common perinatal conditions was also identified.

Discussion and conclusion: The validity of the Whooley questions in the context of urban South Africa, and the importance of ensuring clinical interviews to supplement any screening tools, is emphasised.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationships which may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Comparison of ROC curves: ROC curve for the Whooley questions, (a) excluding the ‘help’ question and (b) including the ‘help’ question.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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