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Maternal and Child Health Journal
Published in: Maternal and Child Health Journal 5/2010

01-09-2010

The Correlation Between Postpartum Depression and Health Status

Authors: Carlos Zubaran, Katia Foresti, Marina Verdi Schumacher, Aline Luz Amoretti, Mariana Rossi Thorell, Lúcia Cristina Müller

Published in: Maternal and Child Health Journal | Issue 5/2010

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Abstract

To investigate a purported correlation between postpartum depression and self-rated maternal general health status in a sample of mothers in Southern Brazil. As part of this process, the Personal Health Scale (PHS), a self-rated health status measure, was tested for the first time among postpartum women. Research volunteers completed the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Disorders (SCID), the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), the PHS, the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS), and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Correlation coefficients were computed among the scores of the health status questionnaires and the postnatal depression scales. Bivariate linear regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the prediction of scores of postnatal depression scales having the scores of health status questionnaires as predictors. Significant correlations among both health status questionnaires and both postnatal screening tools attest to a significant interconnection between the expression of depressive symptoms and maternal health status in the postpartum period. The health status measures predicted the scores of postpartum depression scales. This study demonstrates that both general health questionnaires and postpartum depressive rating scales are useful tools for detecting depressive phenomena in postpartum women. The association between self-rated health measures and postpartum depression may be even more significant in the context of socioeconomic deprivation.
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Metadata
Title
The Correlation Between Postpartum Depression and Health Status
Authors
Carlos Zubaran
Katia Foresti
Marina Verdi Schumacher
Aline Luz Amoretti
Mariana Rossi Thorell
Lúcia Cristina Müller
Publication date
01-09-2010
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Maternal and Child Health Journal / Issue 5/2010
Print ISSN: 1092-7875
Electronic ISSN: 1573-6628
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-009-0512-z

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