Prevalence of Perinatal Depression in the Military: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Objectives Perinatal depression (PND) has been widely studied in the general population, but has been under studied in military populations. This literature review evaluates studies of PND in military service women and spouses of military servicemen. Methods Articles from peer-reviewed journals published from January 2005 to September 2015 were included if they reported on US military women and/or spouses of military servicemen who were screened for PND symptoms during the prenatal and/or postpartum periods; and were available in English. Qualitative studies were excluded. Studies were compared and contrasted by screening instrument, screening time-period, study population, deployment status as a unique risk factor, and results. Results Ten articles were included. Studies varied greatly in methodology and use of screening instruments and screening time-period, but collectively indicate a wide prevalence range of PND symptoms in military populations. Studies also indicate deployment status as a unique risk factor associated with PND symptoms. Common methodological issues include excluding women at high risk for PND, and not reporting if adequate clinical resources were readily available to ensure appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic services treatment for women who screened positive for PND. Conclusions for Practice PND is receiving increasing attention and military populations should be studied more closely to identify this condition, and understand the complex interactions of unique risk factors associated with a military way of life in order to implement more rigorous screening and early, appropriate intervention strategies.