Clinical Application of Korean Version of Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale

Objectives：The EPDS (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) is a 10-items self-report scale designed as a specific instrument to detect postnatal depression by Cox et al. (1987). This study was to determine the optimal cut-off point of the KEPDS for postpartum depression in Korea. Methods：The 239 pregnant women assessed their own psychiatric features with the Korean version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (K-EPDS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) and Marital Satisfaction Scale (MSS) at 6 months of pregnancy, 1 week after delivery, and 6 weeks after delivery. Subjects above 9 points of K-EPDS at 6 week after delivery were interviewed with Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I) to confirm postpartum depression. Results：The prevalence of postpartum depression was 12.6% (30/239 pregnant women) in our study. The total scores of K-EPDS at 6 weeks after delivery were higher significantly than those of normal group. The score gap of K-EPDS between the depressed pregnant group and the normal pregnant group was increased after the delivery. However, there were no differences in the epidemiological characteristics and the BDI scores at 6 weeks after delivery between groups. Using the AUC (area under the curve), the optimal point to assess the postpartum depression was revealed as 6 weeks after delivery (AUC=85.8%) or 24 weeks of pregnancy (83.7%). The cut-off point of K-EPDS to detect postpartum depression among pregnant women was 9/10 score of K-EPDS (AUC= 81.8%). Conclusion：In the K-EPDS, cut-off score of 9/10 was optimal to assess the postpartum depression, and K-EPDS at 6 weeks of delivery was more useful than any other point of time. K-EPDS administrated during pregnancy may be a useful tool to find the vulnerability on the postpartum depression. (J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc 2008;47(1):36-44)