Comorbid Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in an Urban Population of Mothers Screening Positive for Depression

Abstract

Screening for maternal depression in clinical and community settings has been the topic of numerous recent studies and an important component of the 2009 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, Depression in Parents, Parenting, and Children.1 According to the IOM report, however, studies of maternal depression screening have largely ignored the implications of comorbid mental health conditions on screening approaches and evaluation of screening effectiveness.1 One condition that may accompany – and complicate – maternal depression is posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD and depression share several diagnostic criteria, and depression – when accompanied by posttraumatic stress symptoms – is less responsive to treatment.2 Whereas depression has an extensive evidence-base for effective primary care-based treatment, PTSD typically requires mental health specialty services. In certain high risk populations, therefore, it is important to understand the likelihood with which depression screening instruments identify mothers who may have PTSD.