Factor Analysis of the Prediction of the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale

Postpartum depression (PPD), a severe form of clinical depression, is a serious social problem. Fortunately, most women with PPD are likely to recover if the symptoms are recognized and treated promptly. We designed two test data and six classifiers based on 586 questionnaires collected from a county in North Carolina from 2002 to 2005. We used the C4.5 decision tree (DT) algorithm to form decision trees to predict the degree of PPD. Our study established the roles of attributes of the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS), and devised the rules for classifying PPD using factor analysis based on the participants’ scores on the PDSS questionnaires. The six classifiers discard the use of PDSS Total and Short Total and make extensive use of demographic attributes contained in the PDSS questionnaires. Our research provided some insightful results. When using the short form to detect PPD, demographic information can be instructive. An analysis of the decision trees established the preferred sequence of attributes of the short form of PDSS. The most important attribute set was determined, which should make PPD prediction more efficient. Our research hopes to improve early recognition of PPD, especially when information or time is limited, and help mothers obtain timely professional medical diagnosis and follow-up treatments to minimize the harm to families and societies.

Depressive symptoms in postpartum women at Family Health Units

Objectives: to identify postpartum depression among women assisted by Family Health Units (FHU). Methods: this is a cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach carried out in FHUs at the city of Vitoria de Santo Antão - PE. Fifty eight mothers constituted the sample. We used the Portuguese version of the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale – PDSS for screening. We collected data from February to April 2011. Results: we were able to demonstrate that 8.6% of participants had scores above the PDSS cut-off point. We also found an association between postpartum depression and incomplete primary education. Conclusions: although the percentage of women with postpartum depression scores is lower than values found in other national studies, the early identification of these mothers in FHU is imperative, given the harmful repercussions that depression can cause in women, as well as in physical and psychic development of the baby.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale-21 in a Sample of Portuguese Women

IntroductionThe postpartum depression screening scale (PDSS; Beck & Gable, 2002) is a widely used measure to assess women's depressive symptoms after their children's birth. Pereira et al. adapted, validated and developed a short-version of PDSS for Portuguese women (PDSS-21).ObjectiveTo examine the factor structure of the PDSS–21, using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in a sample of Portuguese women in the postpartum period.MethodsThe sample was composed of 208 women (mean age = 32.72; SD = 4.49) who completed the PDSS–21 approximately at the 6th week postpartum. CFA was used to test the model suggested by prior exploratory factor analyses of PDSS–21. AMOS software was used.ResultsAfter two items were deleted and some errors were correlated, CFA indicated a good fit for the second-order factor (χ2/df = 1.793; CFI = 0.957; GFI = 0.889, rmsea = 0.062; P [rmsea ≤ 0.05] < 0.056). The 19–item PDSS showed excellent internal consistency (α = 0.92) and the four dimensions presented Cronbach's alphas ranging between good (α = 0.83) and excellent (α = 0.93).ConclusionsThese findings suggest that the 19–item PDSS obtained through CFA is a reliable and valid measure to assess depressive symptoms among women in the postpartum period.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Validation of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale–DASS-21 in a community sample of Portuguese pregnant women

IntroductionThe Depressive Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21; Antony et al., 1998) had been widely used to measure psychological distress among clinical and non-clinical populations, including in Portugal (Pais-Ribeiro et al., 2004). Although DASS-21 has been considered useful to evaluate psychological distress in the perinatal period, studies reporting on its psychometrics are scarce (Brunton et al., 2015).ObjectiveTo investigate the psychometric properties of the DASS-21 in a Portuguese sample of pregnant women.MethodsFour hundred and twenty-seven pregnant women (mean age: 32.56 ± 4.785 years) in their second trimester of pregnancy (17.34 ± 4.790 weeks of gestation) completed the Portuguese versions of DASS-21 and of Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS-24; Pereira et al., 2013).ResultsThe DASS-21 Cronbach's alpha was “very good” (a = 0.92). Following the Kaiser and the Cattel Scree Plot criteria, two factorial structures were explored. Three factors structure (explained variance/EV = 57.18%): F1-stress (included 8 items; α = 0.89); F2-Anxiety (7 items; α = 0.79); F3-Depression (6 items; α = 0.82). In the two factors structure (EV = 50.96), the Stress and Anxiety items load in the same factor (F1: 15 items; α = 0.91) and the F2 is composed of the Depression items (F2: 6 items; α = 0.82). Pearson correlations between DASS-21 total and dimensional scores and the PDSS-24 scores were all significant, positive and moderate to high (@.50).ConclusionsThe Portuguese version of DASS-21 has good reliability, construct and concurrent validity when used with pregnant women. Its factorial structure significantly overlaps with the original, with only one item loading in another factor. DASS-21 could be very useful in diverse settings in the perinatal period.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.