Is there an optimal screening tool for identifying perinatal depression within clinical settings of sub-Saharan Africa?

Using the WHO Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20) to Detect Symptoms of Common Mental Disorders among Pregnant Women in Vietnam: a Validation Study

Purpose

Detection of antenatal common mental disorders in low-resource settings like Vietnam is important and requires a reliable, valid and practical screening tool. Currently, there is no such tool validated for use among pregnant women in Vietnam. This study aims to assess the validity of the Vietnamese version of the 20-item Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) by evaluating its reliability, factorial structure, and performance in detecting common mental disorder (CMD) symptoms, thereby identifying the optimum cut-off score for CMD screening among pregnant women in Vietnam.

Participants and Methods

A total of 210 pregnant women from four rural communes participated in a face-to-face interview using the Vietnamese version of the SRQ-20, followed by a clinical diagnostic interview based on ICD-10 diagnostic criteria of CMDs. The reliability of the SRQ-20 was assessed by calculating the scale's Cronbach's alpha to measure internal consistency. Factor analyses were undertaken to examine the factor structure of the instrument. The Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to assess the performance of the SRQ-20 against the clinical diagnosis and to identify the optimum cut-off score.

Results

Internal consistency was good, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.87. Factor analyses resulted in a 4-factor solution. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for detection of CMDs was 0.90. The optimum cut-off score of the SRQ-20 for detection of CMD symptoms among Vietnamese pregnant women was 5/6.

Conclusion

The Vietnamese version of the SRQ-20 has the capacity to detect CMDs among pregnant women effectively and is recommended for use as a screening tool for CMDs in antenatal care settings in Vietnam.

Prevalence of Perinatal Depression in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Importance

Women who experience depression during or within a year of pregnancy are at increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Although those living in low- and middle-income countries are thought to be at increased risk of perinatal depression, the true prevalence remains unclear.

Objective

To determine the prevalence of depression among individuals living in low- and middle-income countries during pregnancy and up 1 year post partum.

Data Sources

MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were searched from database inception until April 15, 2021.

Study Selection

Studies were included that reported the prevalence of depression using a validated method during pregnancy or up to 12 months post partum in countries defined by the World Bank as low, lower-middle, and upper-middle income.

Data Extraction and Synthesis

This study followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) reporting guideline. Two reviewers independently assessed study eligibility, extracted data, and assessed studies for bias. Prevalence estimates were calculated using a random-effects meta-analysis model. Subgroup analyses were performed among women who were considered at increased risk of developing perinatal depression.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Point prevalence of perinatal depression was the main outcome measured as percentage point estimates with corresponding 95% CIs.

Results

The search identified 8106 studies, of which data were extracted from 589 eligible studies reporting outcomes of 616 708 women from 51 countries. The pooled prevalence of perinatal depression across all studies was 24.7% (95% CI, 23.7%-25.6%). The prevalence of perinatal depression varied slightly by country income status. The highest prevalence was found in lower-middle-income countries, with a pooled prevalence of 25.5% (95% CI, 23.8%-27.1%; 197 studies from 23 countries including 212 103 individuals). In upper-middle-income countries, the pooled prevalence was 24.7% (95% CI, 23.6%-25.9%; 344 studies from 21 countries including 364 103 individuals) and in low-income countries, the pooled prevalence was 20.7% (95% CI, 18.4%-23.0%; 50 studies from 7 countries including 40 502 individuals). The East Asia and the Pacific region had the lowest prevalence of perinatal depression at 21.4% (95% CI, 19.8%-23.1%) and was significantly increased in the Middle East and North Africa at 31.5% (95% CI, 26.9%-36.2%; between-group comparison: P < .001). In subgroup analyses, the highest prevalence of perinatal depression was found among women who experienced intimate partner violence, at 38.9% (95% CI, 34.1%-43.6%). revalence of depression was also high among women with HIV (35.1% [95% CI, 29.6%-40.6%]) and those who had experienced a natural disaster (34.8% [95% CI, 29.4%-40.2%]).

Conclusions and Relevance

This meta-analysis found that depression was common in low- and middle-income countries, affecting 1 in 4 perinatal women. Accurate estimates of the prevalence of perinatal depression in low- and middle-income countries are essential in informing policy, allocating scarce resources, and directing further research to improve outcomes for women, infants, and families.

Prevalence and risk factors associated with depression in pregnant adolescents in Nairobi, Kenya

Background

Adolescent parenthood can be associated with a range of adverse outcomes for young mothers such as depression, substance abuse, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Identification of depression and understanding risk factors among pregnant adolescents is important for development of appropriate interventions and programs focused on adolescent mental health. This paper reports on the findings of the prevalence of depression and its associated risk factors among pregnant adolescents in Nairobi, Kenya.

Methods

We recruited 153 pregnant adolescent (14-18 years) who were accessing maternal health services in one of two Nairobi County primary health care facilities in the cross-sectional survey conducted in 2021. The Patient Health Questionnaire 9 was used to screen for depression. Multivariate Stepwise linear regression modelling was used to identify key predictors of depression.

Results

Using a cut off of 10 and above on PHQ-9, we found that 43.1% of the respondents were depressed. Depressive symptoms in were independently associated with being in school, experience of intimate partner violence, substance use within the family and having experienced pressure to use substances by family or peers.

Limitations

Cross-sectional by design and the applications of our findings are limited to settings that are similar to our study population. The PHQ-9 used has not been psychometrically validated locally in this sample.

Conclusion

We found a high prevalence of depressive symptoms among respondents. These risk factors identified merit further investigation. Comprehensive mental health screening needs to be integrated in primary and community health services on the possible presence of depression.

Reliability and validity of a perinatal depression screening instrument in rural Mali

Background

In order to reduce the burden of perinatal depression in low- and middle-income countries, health systems must be able to identify and treat women suffering from depression. The objective of our study was to develop a locally valid and reliable screening instrument for use in identifying pregnant women and mothers of young children with a local depression syndrome, dusukasi, in rural Mali.

Methods

We administered a locally adapted screening instrument containing items from the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) and Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL-25) to 180 pregnant women and mothers of children under age 2 in Sélingué, Mali to assess the instrument's psychometric properties and validity. Item Response Theory was used to develop an abbreviated version of the measure and the validity and psychometric properties of this shortened version were compared with the full-length scale.

Results

The full 28-item scale exhibited a single factor structure with good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.92). Women who self-identified as suffering from dusukasi (n = 87) in a known groups analysis to assess construct validity had significantly higher depression and anxiety symptom scores (p < 0.0001) and functional impairment scores (p < 0.0001) compared to women not reporting dusukasi (n = 93). The shortened 16-item scale performed as well as the full scale in identifying women with dusukasi.

Conclusions

Construct validity of our adapted screening instrument was supported for identifying dusukasi in rural Malian women. Our methodology can be applied in other settings to develop similarly valid screening instruments for perinatal depression.

The importance of assessing and addressing mental health barriers to PrEP use during pregnancy and postpartum in sub-Saharan Africa: state of the science and research priorities

Introduction

Pregnant and postpartum women (PPW) in sub‐Saharan Africa are at disproportionately high risk of HIV infection compared to non‐pregnant women. When used consistently, pre‐exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can prevent HIV acquisition and transmission to the foetus or infant during these critical periods. Recent studies have demonstrated associations between mental health challenges (e.g. depression and traumatic stress associated with intimate partner violence) and decreased PrEP adherence and persistence, particularly among adolescents, younger women and women in the postpartum period. However, mental health is not currently a major focus of PrEP implementation research and programme planning for PPW.

Discussion

PrEP implementation programmes for PPW need to assess and address mental health barriers to consistent PrEP use to ensure effectiveness and sustainability in routine care. We highlight three key research priorities that will support PrEP adherence and persistence: (1) include mental health screening tools in PrEP implementation research with PPW, both to assess the feasibility of integrating these tools into routine antenatal and postpartum care and to ensure that limited resources are directed towards women whose symptoms may interfere most with PrEP use; (2) identify cross‐cutting, transdiagnostic psychological mechanisms that affect consistent PrEP use during these periods and can realistically be targeted with intervention in resource‐limited settings; and (3) develop/adapt and test interventions that target those underlying mechanisms, leveraging strategies from existing interventions that have successfully mitigated mental health barriers to antiretroviral therapy use among people with HIV.

Conclusions

For PPW, implementation of PrEP should be guided by a robust understanding of the unique psychological difficulties that may act as barriers to uptake, adherence and persistence (i.e. sustained adherence over time). We strongly encourage PrEP implementation research in PPW to incorporate validated mental health screening tools and ultimately treatment in routine antenatal and postnatal care, and we stress the potential public health benefits of identifying women who face mental health barriers to PrEP use.