Early intervention and perinatal depression: is there a need for provider training?

An estimated 5-25% of women suffer from perinatal depression (PD). If left untreated, PD can have negative consequences for maternal and child mental health. During pregnancy and the postpartum period, women are in contact with a variety of professionals and paraprofessionals such as public health nurses, early childhood providers and home visitors, which provides an excellent opportunity for identification, referral or treatment of PD. Using the pre-test data from a training series about PD, this article describes participants' self-reported knowledge about risk factors for the onset, medication, effects, screening and treatment of PD. Relationships between level of self-reported knowledge, occupation and education, and the implications for practice are also described. Findings from this study suggest that there is a need for training in PD, especially for paraprofessional home visitors and early childhood providers.