An antenatal index predicted postpartum depression with high sensitivity and moderate specificity
QUESTION: Are there demographic, perinatal, and psychosocial risk factors that can be used to develop a predictive index for postpartum depression?
Design
2 cohort studies: 1 to identify the predictors (derivation cohort) and 1 to validate their predictive ability (validation cohort).
Setting
Antenatal care clinic and delivery ward in a university hospital in Denmark.
Patients
6790 Danish speaking women (mean age 30 y) who attended an antenatal programme for a second trimester examination and who gave birth between 1 January 1994 and 31 December 1995 formed the derivation cohort. 528 women enrolled in the antenatal programme in the 4 months immediately before and after the study period formed the validation cohort.
Description of prediction guide
2 predictive indices were considered: 1 index involving only antenatal risk factors, and the other involving both antenatal and perinatal risk factors. Potential risk factors were grouped into sociodemographic characteristics, psychopathological and social status, and …
