Association between Postpartum Depression Beliefs and Screening Practices
| Statement (responses*) | Often or Always Screen Women at Postpartum Visits | P value | Often or Always Screen Mothers at Well-Child Visits | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General beliefs about postpartum depression | ||||
| 1. Postpartum depression affects the children of affected mothers. | ||||
| Agreed (n = 287) | 70.4% | NS† | 46.7% | NS† |
| Did Not Agree (n = 7) | 71.4% | 28.6% | ||
| 2. Postpartum depression affects the spouses of affected women. | ||||
| Agreed (n = 291) | 70.8% | NS† | 46.4% | NS† |
| Did Not Agree (n = 3) | 33.3% | 33.3% | ||
| 3. Therapy for postpartum depression is effective. | ||||
| Agreed (n = 277) | 70.8% | NS† | 46.6% | NS† |
| Did Not Agree (n = 15) | 66.7% | 40.0% | ||
| General beliefs about screening for postpartum depression | ||||
| 1. Postpartum depression is common enough to warrant screening. | ||||
| Agreed (n = 256) | 77.7% | <.001‡ | 50.8% | <.001‡ |
| Did Not Agree (n = 37) | 18.9% | 13.5% | ||
| 2. Postpartum depression is a serious enough problem to warrant screening. | ||||
| Agreed (n = 264) | 73.9% | <.001‡ | 48.5% | .013‡ |
| Did Not Agree (n = 29) | 37.9% | 24.1% | ||
| Beliefs about screening women at postpartum visits | ||||
| 1. Screening at every postpartum visit would take too much effort. | ||||
| Agreed (n = 56) | 48.2% | <.001‡ | 21.4% | <.001‡ |
| Did Not Agree (n = 234) | 76.1% | 52.1% | ||
| 2. Screening at every postpartum visit would not be effective. | ||||
| Agreed (n = 10,21) | 50.0% | NS† | 20.0% | NS† |
| Did Not Agree (n = 281,268) | 71.2% | 47.0% | ||
| Beliefs about screening mothers at well-child visits | ||||
| 1. Screening at every well-child visit up to one year-of-age would take too much effort. | ||||
| Agreed (n = 102,103) | 60.8% | .009‡ | 26.2% | <.001‡ |
| Did Not Agree (n = 191,190) | 75.4% | 56.8% | ||
| 2. Screening at every well-child visit would not be effective. | ||||
| Agreed (n = 21) | 71.4% | 23.8% | .034‡ | |
| Did Not Agree (n = 268) | 70.5% | NS‡ | 47.8% |
* If two numbers are shown, they represent postpartum visits and well-child visits, respectively.
† Statistical analysis based on Fisher’s exact test.
‡ Statistical analysis based on χ2 analysis.