Lost in Translation: Staff and Interpreters’ Experiences of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale with Women from Refugee Backgrounds

Abstract

This paper explores the cross-cultural application of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the difficulties associated with administration to women from refugee backgrounds. Assessing women's comprehension of individual scale items identified problems associated with “Western” terminology and concepts. Re-interpretation of discrete items on the scale was often necessary, raising doubts about the objectivity and reliability of scores. Our findings call for a closer examination of the ethnocentric assumptions underpinning the EPDS items, and the need to incorporate a more diverse range of cross-cultural understandings into future iterations.