Barriers and facilitators of postpartum depression screening as reported by mothers

Background Pregnancy and childbirth put new mothers at increased risk for developing depression (PPD). Screening for PPD at postpartum visits is an important step to identify those women with PPD so that they may seek help. While studies have assessed the barriers physicians face in PPD screening, few studies identify barriers women face. This study identifies the facilitators and barriers for PPD screening among new mothers.

Methods Listening to Mothers II is a nationally representative survey of 1573 women, ages 18 to 45 who have gave birth in 2005 in a hospital to a singleton, still living infant. Questions asked about prenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum experiences. Bivariate statistics (Chi-square) and multivariate (logistic regression) statistics were conducted using SPSS 13.0.

Results 59.9% of mothers reported being screened for depression during their postnatal visit. Women with a high school education or less (AOR 0.71 95%CI[(0.51,0.98]) and of Hispanic ethnicity (AOR 0.72 95%CI[(0.54, 0.95]) were significantly less likely to be screened for PPD, while age, educational level, income, health insurance type, and marital status were not related. Family physicians screened less (AOR 0.54 95%CI[0.37,0.80]) and nurse-midwives (AOR 1.78 95%CI[1.15, 2.77]) screened more often than obstetricians.. Women not screened at their prenatal appointments were far less likely to be screened at their postpartum visit.

Conclusion This study finds that 40% of all mothers are not being screened for PPD at their postpartum visit. Lower SES women, who are often at higher risk, were less likely to be screened, suggesting a need for targeted interventions.