Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale scores at 2-week post-partum may reflect those at 4-week post-partum: A single-center retrospective observational study.

AIM: Most Japanese institutions screen for post-partum depression (PPD) using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) at outpatient visits conducted at 2- and 4-week post-partum, but there are no published data on the usefulness of EPDS scores 2-week post-partum. In the present study, relationships between 2-week post-partum EPDS scores and 4-week post-partum EPDS scores were investigated to determine whether 2-week scores may facilitate early intervention in high-risk mothers.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of 451 deliveries from 2017 to 2019 was conducted at a single institution. EPDS scores were obtained using the Japanese EPDS 2- and 4-week post-partum, in conjunction with other perinatal data from medical records.

RESULTS

In total, 334 of 451 mothers (74.1%) completed the EPDS at both 2- and 4-week post-partum and were included in the analysis. Of 48 who had higher scores 2-week post-partum, 21 (43.8%) continued to be at high risk of PPD. Of 284 who had lower scores 2-week post-partum, 9 (3.2%) transitioned to scores indicating high risk. Women considered high-risk 4-week post-partum tended to have exhibited higher scores 2-week post-partum. Women who had experienced more deliveries tended to exhibit lower scores, and psychiatric illness was strongly associated with higher EPDS scores (odds ratio 11.2, 95% confidence interval 3.7-33.8, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Two-week EPDS scores closely reflected 4-week scores, and may facilitate early intervention to prevent PPD. Primiparous mothers and those with a history of psychiatric illness should be followed-up closely.