Use of a Kinyarwanda-Based Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Screen in a Maternity Ward of a Major Referral Hospital [37K

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Maternal mental health has often been relegated to the margins of global women's health discourse despite mounting evidence of the disproportionate burden of common mental health problems among pregnant women in low-and middle-income countries. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is a validated tool used to screen for perinatal depression. We developed a version of this screening tool in Kinyarwanda and administered it to 105 women receiving prenatal and postnatal care at the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK). METHODS: IRB approval was obtained for this prospective study was obtained at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and CHUK from 2016 to 2017. An English version of the EPDS tool was translated to Kinyarwanda and administered to 105 women who consented to participate in this survey project. Descriptive and comparative analysis was performed using STATA 16. RESULTS: The majority of women completing our survey were young, multiparous, with at least a primary school education (59%). Most of the women completed the EPDS while postpartum and 85% had an EPDS score less than 10. Higher levels of educational attainment were significantly associated with an EPDS score less than 10 (P<.05). 55% of women surveyed felt that postpartum depression is an issue affecting their communities, with over 60% of women agreeing that stigma prevents pregnant women from seeking help for mental wellness. CONCLUSION: We identified level of educational attainment as a factor associated with a low EPDS score among women admitted at a maternity ward in a large referral hospital in Rwanda.