A longitudinal study of perinatal depression among Chinese high-risk pregnant women.

BACKGROUND: Information is needed on the prevalence of depression in Chinese women with medically defined complications across the perinatal period, as well as key risk factors to develop appropriate perinatal mental health services and ensure the services target those most in need.

AIM: The goal of this study was to examine whether women's perinatal depression scores change across the perinatal period and evaluate risk factors associated with postnatal depression at 6-weeks after delivery.

METHODS: A sample of 167 Chinese pregnant women with medically defined complications and an Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale≥9 and/or a Postpartum Depression Screening Scale≥60 were followed throughout early pregnancy (<28 weeks), late pregnancy (>28 weeks), 3-days and 6-weeks after delivery.

FINDINGS: Repeated measures analysis of variance showed that there were significant differences on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and Postpartum Depression Screening Scale scores at each time point between high-risk depressed and low-risk depressed groups. Binary logistic regression indicated a significant association between postnatal depression at 6-weeks after delivery and depression in late pregnancy and 3-days after delivery, postnatal stress events, postnatal complications, and concerns about the fetus.

CONCLUSIONS: Postnatal depression is a common condition with limited research among Chinese pregnant women with medically defined complications. Additional research is warranted to develop strategies to identify high-risk depressed pregnant women as well as effective treatment options during the perinatal period.