Postnatal mental health of women giving birth in Australia 2002-2004: Findings from the beyondblue National Postnatal Depression Program

Abstract

Objectives: To describe the postnatal mental health status of women giving birth in Australia 2002-2004 at 6-8 weeks postpartum. Method: Women were recruited from 43 health services across Australia. Women completed a demographic questionnaire and an Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) in pregnancy; the latter was repeated at 6-8 weeks following childbirth. Results: A total of 12 361 postnatal women (53.8% of all postnatal women surveyed) completed questionnaires as part of a depression screening programme; 15.5% of women screened had a postnatal EPDS >9 and 7.5% of women had an EPDS <12 at 6-8 weeks following childbirth. There was significant variation between States in the percenta..