title: Pregnant Women's Perceptions of Harms and Benefits of Mental Health Screening.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A widely held concern of screening is that its psychological harms may outweigh the benefits of early detection and treatment. This study describes pregnant women's perceptions of possible harms and benefits of mental health screening and factors associated with identifying screening as harmful or beneficial.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study analyzed a subgroup of women who had undergone formal or informal mental health screening from our larger multi-site, cross-sectional study. Pregnant women >16 years of age who spoke/read English were recruited (May-December 2013) from prenatal classes and maternity clinics in Alberta, Canada. Descriptive statistics were generated to summarize harms and benefits of screening and multivariable logistic regression identified factors associated with reporting at least one harm or affirming screening as a positive experience (January-December 2014).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall study participation rate was 92% (N = 460/500). Among women screened for mental health concerns (n = 238), 63% viewed screening as positive, 69% were glad to be asked, and 87% took it as evidence their provider cared about them. Only one woman identified screening as a negative experience. Of the 6 harms, none was endorsed by >7% of women, with embarrassment being most cited. Women who were very comfortable (vs somewhat/not comfortable) with screening were more likely to report it as a positive experience.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women were largely Caucasian, well-educated, partnered women; thus, findings may not be generalizable to women with socioeconomic risk.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most women perceived prenatal mental health screening as having high benefit and low harm. These findings dispel popular concerns that mental health screening is psychologically harmful.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Dawn
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kingston
authors.affiliation: St John of God Chair Perinatal & Women's Mental Health, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Marie-Paule
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Austin
authors.affiliation: Population, Public, and Aboriginal Health, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Sheila W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Lydia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vermeyden
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heaman
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hegadoren
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, University of Saskatchewan, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.
authors.forename: Gerri
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lasiuk
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Science (Computer Science), MacEwan University, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kingston
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sword
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Karly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jarema
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Sander
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Veldhuyzen van Zanten
authors.affiliation: Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Radiology, and Clinical, Epidemiology & Biostatistics McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Sarah D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Ada and Slaight Family Director of Maternity Care, Ray D Wolfe Department of Family Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Biringer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000416:Alberta; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening; D008603:Mental Health; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000523:psychology*