VALIDATION OF THE "POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION SCREENING SCALE" SPANISH VERSION IN WOMEN FROM ARICA, CHILE

Abstract

Postpartum depression (PPD) can be difficult to detect; mainly because mothers do not report depressive symptoms they may be feeling to health care providers. The objective of this study was to test the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS) Spanish version in a group of women in Arica, Chile. The convenience sample included 179 women with 2 or more weeks postpartum attending Primary Care Clinics. Data on reproductive and sociodemographic characteristics were obtained. The PDSS was utilized for assessment of PPD. Symptoms of postpartum depression was found among 46.4% of the women. "Suicidal thoughts" and "Loss of self" were the most commonly reported symptoms (34.1% and 26.3% respectively). The majority of the participants obtained a low Inconsistent Responding Index, indicating that the scale was understood. A reliability coefficient of .96 was obtained (Cronbach Alpha). Six of the seven dimensions of the PDSS-Spanish Version distinguished between groups by depression status. Construct validity was tested using degree of interrelatedness among the scales, identifying those correlated highly with each other. Factor analysis revealed eight components with explained variance of 67.85%. It is concluded that the PDSS-Spanish Version obtained an adequate reliability in this population. Recommendation is for further assessment of this tool among women in other regions of Chile.