The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale: Translation and antepartum validation for a Hungarian sample

Objective: the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is an important screening instrument routinely used during the peripartum period for the identification of depression. The purpose of the study was to assess the validity of the 10-item EPDS in screening for antepartum depression (APD) in Hungary. Design: validation study carried out between July and December 2010. Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Szeged, Hungary. Participants: 219 women attending a routine check-up at 12 weeks antepartum. Interventions: participants completed the newly translated Hungarian version of the EPDS and underwent a clinical assessment with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV disorders (SCID-I). Measurement and findings: seven (3.2%) of the mothers were diagnosed with major antepartum depression and 15 persons (6.85%) with minor depression on the basis of the SCID. Internal consistency of the EPDS was satisfactory (Cronbach alpha coefficients >= 0.728). The best cut-off on the Hungarian version of the EPDS for major depression was 819, with a sensitivity of 71.4%, and a specificity of 91.5%. The area under the ROC curve was found significant for combined depression as well and at a cut-off of 617 indicated a sensitivity of 81.8% and a specificity of 83.2%. Key conclusions: the EPDS showed acceptable validity despite a considerable scatter in the total scores in our sample. Implication for practice: the EPDS is a reliable instrument for the screening of depressive disorders, especially major depressive disorder in early pregnancy among Hungarian women. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.