Citation

Lau Y, Yin L, Wang Y. J. Obstet. Gynecol. Neonatal Nurs. 2011; 40(1): 62-74.

Affiliation

School of Health Sciences, Macao Polytechnic Institute, Macau SAR, China. Macao Polytechnic Institute, Macau SAR, China. Department of Nursing, West China Second (Women and Children) University Hospital, Sichuan University, Sichuan, China.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1552-6909.2010.01208.x

PMID

21244494

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and correlates of severe antenatal depressive symptoms among pregnant women in Chengdu before and after the Wenchuan earthquake. Design: An exploratory and comparative cross-sectional study. Settings: Four regional public hospitals in Chengdu located 90 km from the epicenter of the Wenchuan earthquake. Participants: The convenience sample was composed of 1,156 pregnant women at 12 to 24 weeks' gestation. Methods: The women were identified as having depressive symptoms using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Marital conflict and parent-in-law conflict were assessed using the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) and the Stryker Adjustment Checklist (SAC), respectively. The Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) was used to measure the functional aspects of the perceived availability of social support. Results: Using the EPDS with a cutoff score of 14/15 for severe symptoms of depression, 9.2% and 7.1% of the women screened positive before and after the earthquake. Women who had been married for a shorter time were more likely to have depressive symptoms before the earthquake; those who had lived in Chengdu for a shorter period and who had more infants were more likely to suffer after it. Marital conflict and lack of social support were consistent risk factors before and after the earthquake. Conclusion: Additional research is needed to investigate the long-term, earthquake-related psychopathology. Nurses should receive more education about disaster-related psychological health skills to provide more effective prenatal screening and intervene successfully to assist women to optimize their psychological health status after a disaster.

Language: en