Psychometric properties of the postpartum depression screening scale beyond the postpartum period.

The study tested the scale's psychometric properties against a diagnostic interview; it did not test what happened after a positive screen. The accuracy analyses used 238 mothers rather than all 245 who completed the scale, because Beck Depression Inventory-II and Structured Clinical Interview data were missing for some participants. Mothers had infants aged 4 to 15 months, so it does not show how the scale performs in the first 4 weeks after birth. The original seven-subscale structure did not fit; the five-subscale model had a TLI of 0.85, below the recommended 0.95. The suicidal thoughts subscale fell below the 0.70 reliability cutoff, so its score may not be a reliable measure of suicidality. Using cutoff scores, the scale missed almost 30% of true depression cases, and mothers with depression in remission were grouped with non-depressed mothers.

The publication types list NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support. The supplied article text does not include a conflict-of-interest declaration.

Do not treat a Postpartum Depression Screening Scale score as proof of depression or as a reliable suicide-risk measure. The scale missed almost 30% of true depression cases, and its suicidal thoughts subscale did not meet the recommended reliability cutoff.