The Article in Brief

Postpartum Depression Screening at Well-Child Visits: Validity of a 2-Question Screen and the PHQ-9

Dwenda Gjerdingen , and colleagues

Background Postpartum depression affects up to 22% of women who have recently given birth. Most mothers are not screened for postpartum depression, and an ideal screening tool has not been identified. This study tests the effectiveness of 2 postpartum depression screening tools and the feasibility of screening for postpartum depression during well-child visits.

What This Study Found A 2-step screening procedure may be an effective way to identify women with postpartum depression. Women would first complete a 2-item screening test, and those who test positive would complete a longer (9-item) questionnaire to confirm the results. Those who test positive for the second step would be advised to get further evaluation and treatment. The study finds that the 2-item screen is highly sensitive for identifying those with postpartum depression, meaning it did not miss any cases. The longer questionnaire is highly specific for identifying postpartum depression.

Implications

• This 2-stage approach could be easily administered in the primary care setting, especially compared with other screening approaches that require specialized training.