Original Articles
The Detection of Postpartum Depression among Japanese Mothers Using the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale Partner (EPDS-P)
2021 Volume 41 Pages 106-113
Details
2021 Volume 41 Pages 106-113
Purpose: This study explored the possibility of early detection of postpartum depression by mothers’ partners.
Methods: The Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale Partner (EPDS-P) was translated into Japanese and back-translated by several bilingual translators and discussed with the original author to establish semantic equivalence. The participants were 147 couples whose infants had check-ups 1 month after delivery at a university hospital and an obstetrics clinic. The mother’s questionnaire consisted of the EPDS and questions about physical symptoms of postpartum depression. The partner’s questionnaire consisted of the Japanese version of the EPDS-P (EPDS-P-J) and questions about their perception of the mother’s physical symptoms.
Results: The average EPDS score of the women who participated was 4.4 (3.4), with a cut-off of 9 points at 12.2%. Analysis showed a positive correlation between mother’s EPDS score and partner’s EPDS-P-J score (rs = .27; p < .01). Cronbach’s α for the EPDS-P-J was 0.83, suggesting sufficient reliability. Unhappiness and crying, self-blame, unhappiness and difficulty falling asleep, sadness, and able to laugh showed significant correlations between EPDS and EPDS-P-J (rs = .37, rs = .29, rs = .20, rs = .20, rs = .19, p < .05, respectively). Physical symptoms of postpartum depression also showed a significant correlation. Partners rated the women’s symptoms more seriously than the women rated themselves.
Conclusion: The EPDS-P-J was found to a significant correlation with the mother’s EPDS. The results of this study suggest that partners can detect early postpartum depression in mothers.
