title: Screening for Postpartum Depression in Well-Baby Care Settings: A Systematic Review.
abstract: Introduction Postpartum depression (PPD) is a mental health problem frequently experienced by mothers in the first year postpartum. Early detection and treatment can help to reduce its negative effect on the development of the newborn child. Well-baby care (WBC) is a promising screening setting for early detection of PPD. This systematic review investigates the evidence of the effectiveness of screening for PPD in WBC settings regarding mother and child outcomes. Methods Three electronic databases were searched: SCOPUS, PsychINFO and CINAHL. Two reviewers independently performed the study selection. Data extraction was based on a predefined data extraction form. Results Six studies were included; a quality assessment rated two studies as strong and four as weak. Four studies measuring outcomes at process level showed improvement in detection, referral and/or treatment rates. Four studies, including the two strong ones, where screening and enhanced care were combined, showed improvements in the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale scores of the mothers in the intervention groups. No improvements were reported on other outcomes at parent level or at child level. At child level, weight was the only outcome that was measured. Discussion This review provides limited yet positive evidence for the value of screening for PPD in a WBC setting. The outcomes are comparable with studies on screening for PPD in general. The evidence that we found is very promising but the small number of available studies shows a need for additional high-quality studies, to strengthen the evidence regarding the potential benefits of screening in a WBC setting.
authors: Department Health Technology and Services Research, Institute of Innovation and Governance Studies, University of Twente, Ravelijn Building Room RA 5260, PO Box 217, 7500 AE, Enschede, The Netherlands. a.i.vandenberg@utwente.nl.
authors: Angarath I
authors: AI
authors: van der Zee-van den Berg
authors: Department Health Technology and Services Research, Institute of Innovation and Governance Studies, University of Twente, Ravelijn Building Room RA 5260, PO Box 217, 7500 AE, Enschede, The Netherlands.
authors: Magda M
authors: MM
authors: Boere-Boonekamp
authors: Department Health Technology and Services Research, Institute of Innovation and Governance Studies, University of Twente, Ravelijn Building Room RA 5260, PO Box 217, 7500 AE, Enschede, The Netherlands.
authors: Maarten J
authors: MJ
authors: IJzerman
authors: Department of Preventive Child Health Care, Municipal Health Services GGD Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands.
authors: Riet M E
authors: RM
authors: Haasnoot-Smallegange
authors: Department of Health Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors: Sijmen A
authors: SA
authors: Reijneveld
mesh_terms: D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy
keywords: Effectiveness; Postpartum depression; Preventive child health care; Screening; Systematic review; Well baby care