title: Preferences for Mental Health Screening Among Pregnant Women: A Cross-Sectional Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The process of mental health screening can influence disclosure, uptake of referral, and treatment; however, no studies have explored pregnant women's views of methods of mental health screening. The objectives of this study are to determine pregnant women's comfort and preferences regarding mental health screening.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pregnant women were recruited (May-December 2013) for this cross-sectional descriptive survey from prenatal classes and maternity clinics in Alberta, Canada, if they were aged >16 years and spoke/read English. Descriptive statistics summarized acceptability of screening, and multivariable logistic regression identified factors associated with women's comfort with screening methods. Analysis was conducted in January-December 2014.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The participation rate was 92% (N=460/500). Overall, 97.6% of women reported that they were very (74.8%) or somewhat (22.8%) comfortable with mental health screening in pregnancy. Women were most comfortable with completing paper- (>90%) and computer-based (>82%) screening in a clinic or at home, with fewest reporting comfort with telephone-based screening (62%). The majority of women were very/somewhat comfortable with provider-initiated (97.4%) versus self-initiated (68.7%) approaches. Women's ability to be honest with their provider about emotional health was most strongly associated with comfort with each method of screening.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The majority of pregnant women viewed prenatal mental health screening favorably and were comfortable with a variety of screening methods. These findings provide evidence of high acceptability of screening--a key criterion for implementation of universal screening--and suggest that providers can select from a variety of screening methods best suited for their clinical setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Electronic address: dawn.kingston@ualberta.ca.
authors.forename: Dawn E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Kingston
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Ray D. Wolfe Department of Family Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Biringer
authors.affiliation: Population, Public, and Aboriginal Health, Alberta Health Services, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Sheila W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
authors.forename: Maureen I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Heaman
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Gerri C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Lasiuk
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Kathy M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Hegadoren
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Radiology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Sarah D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Sander
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Veldhuyzen van Zanten
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sword
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Joshua J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Kingston
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Karly M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Jarema
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Lydia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vermeyden
authors.affiliation: St. John of God Chair Perinatal and Women's Mental Health, School Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Marie-Paule
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Austin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000068097:Maternal Health; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008603:Mental Health; D057240:Patient Preference / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult