Subthreshold psychiatric symptoms as potential predictors of postpartum depression

ABSTRACT

The authors’ purpose in the present study is to examine the role of subthreshold mental disorders as predictors of Postpartum Depression (PPD). 110 pregnancy women were evaluated as follow: the General 5-Spectrum Measure at 26 weeks of gestation; the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale at 3/6 months after delivery. Only 4.5% of the sample developed PPD at 3/6 months after delivery. Agoraphobia/panic, depressed mood, social anxiety and eating problems relate positively to PPD at 3/6 months. Early identification of symptoms that could indicate the development of future mood problems in the mother is of crucial importance for mental health and prevention.

KEYWORDS:

• Postpartum depression
• subthreshold symptoms
• women health

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the mothers and infants who participated in this study, and all the staff of the Gynecology and Obstetrics and Psychiatry Units, University Hospital of Messina, Italy, for assistance with recruitment and data collection.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.