254817 Postpartum awareness of depression

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Kenneth D. Rosenberg, MD, MPH , Office of Family Health, Oregon Public Health Division, Portland, OR
Alexis Helsel, MPH , School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
INTRODUCTION:

Oregon PRAMS is a population-based stratified random sample of Oregon women 3-4 months after birth. Oregon PRAMS-2 reinterviews PRAMS respondents shortly after the child's second birthday.

METHODS:

Oregon PRAMS asks women to report symptoms of depression at 2 times: T1 (PRAMS): during pregnancy T2 (PRAMS): since they baby was born

Oregon PRAMS-2 asks women to report symptoms of depression at 2 times: T3 (PRAMS-2): during the first 12 months of the child's life T4 (PRAMS-2): during the second 12 months of the child's life

1911 women whose children were born in 2004 or 2005 responded to both the PRAMS and the PRAMS-2 surveys. The weighted response rate was 56.6%.

RESULTS:

Respondents reported symptoms of depression: T1 (during pregnancy): 16.6% T2 (0-6 months postpartum): 11.3% T3 (0-12 months postpartum): 30.6% T4 (13-24 months postpartum): 22.1%

DISCUSSION:

Women were almost 3 times as likely to report postpartum depression 2 years postpartum than they were to report postpartum depression 3-4 months postpartum.

Possible reasons for this discrepancy:

1. Slightly different questions; asked about somewhat different time periods.

2. Denial: It is possible that women are less likely to report the symptoms of depression when they are in its throes 3-4 months postpartum. We encourage researchers to explore other longitudinal datasets to seek to explain these findings.

CONCLUSION:

If depressed women are unable to identify depressive symptoms in the first few months after birth then the screening tests that are currently in use may be insufficient; additional detection methods may be necessary.

Learning Areas:
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Epidemiology
Public health biology
Public health or related nursing
Public health or related public policy
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
How can self-reported depression be assessed in a survey? In multiple time periods, what proportion of respondents report self-reported depression?

Keywords: Depression, Perinatal Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the MCH epidemiologist for the Oregon Public Health Division
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.