Development of the Swiss postpartum Screening tool (SPST) for the early detection of postpartum depression and acute stress reaction
Main Article Content
Abstract
Introduction: Postpartum depression and posttraumatic development have emerged as leading causes of maternal mortality in Western countries during the first year after childbirth, as evidenced by the increasing number of suicides during this period. Consequently, there is an urgent need to screen for postpartum depression and acute stress reactions following delivery. Early screening—ideally within the first few days postpartum—with the goal of identifying women at risk by the third week may allow for timely and effective preventive interventions.
Methods: In a sample of 209 participants, the predictive value of various factors - including birth-related parameters, birth experience (SILGer12), team support (BBCI), depressive symptoms (EPDS), and acute stress responses (IES) - was evaluated using correlation analyses and stepwise logistic regression modeling.
Results: The Swiss Postpartum Screening Tool (SPST) demonstrated a sensitivity of 91.9%. The SILGer12 and two key items from the Impact of Event Scale (IES) proved effective in identifying women with acute stress reactions by the third postpartum week. One (out of four) team support items and two items from the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) were predictive of postpartum depression at the same time point.
Discussion and Conclusion: The screening method developed in this study appears to be a promising approach, demonstrating high sensitivity and ease of implementation during the first postpartum week, ideally between days 2 and 5. Further validation in larger, more diverse samples is recommended to address the small number of at-risk women (n = 5) who were not detected using this approach.
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