BMJ Open (Jun 2023)

Postpartum depression screening in mothers and fathers at well-child visits: a feasibility study within the NASCITA cohort

  • ,
  • Antonio Clavenna,
  • Massimo Cartabia,
  • Maurizio Bonati,
  • Federico Marchetti,
  • Giorgio Tamburlini,
  • Antonio Addis,
  • Michele Valente,
  • Stefania Manetti,
  • Valeria Carraro,
  • Renato Sansone,
  • Patrizia Rogari,
  • Annalisa Campomori,
  • Renata Bortolus,
  • Sergio Cattani,
  • Cristiana Piloni,
  • Valeria Renzetti,
  • Chiara Segré,
  • Rosario Cavallo,
  • Gherardo Rapisardi,
  • Giacomo Toffol,
  • Vicenza Briscioli,
  • Carla Cafaro,
  • Cristoforo Cocchiara,
  • Isodiana Crupi,
  • Laura Dell’edera,
  • Alberto Ferrando,
  • Francesca Grassa,
  • Chiara Guidoni,
  • Claudio Mangialavori,
  • Stefano Marinoni,
  • Francesca Marongiu,
  • Fausta Matera,
  • Paolo Moretti,
  • Laura Olimpi,
  • Angela Pasinato,
  • Ilaria Porro,
  • Ippolita Roncoroni,
  • Raffaella Schiro’,
  • Patrizia Seppia,
  • Federica Zanetto,
  • Anna Aloisio,
  • Elisabetta Anedda,
  • Giuliana Apuzzo,
  • Giovanna Argo,
  • Anna Armenio,
  • Emanuela Ballerini,
  • Monica Benedetti,
  • Daniela Bertoli,
  • Stefano Bollettini,
  • Chiara Bottalico,
  • Aurora Bottiglieri,
  • Vincenza Briscioli,
  • Antonella Bruno,
  • Laura Brusadin,
  • Mariantonietta Caiazzo,
  • Patrizia Calamita,
  • Miriana Callegari,
  • Rosaria Cambria,
  • Domenico Capomolla,
  • Anna Caracciolo,
  • Gaetano Carrassi,
  • Sara Casagranda,
  • Ornella Castiglione,
  • Teresa Cazzato,
  • Jennifer Chiarolanza,
  • Rosaria China,
  • Nicoletta Cimadamore,
  • Roberto Cionini,
  • Cristina Ciuffo,
  • Damiano Colazzo,
  • Claudio Cravidi,
  • Marialuisa Criscione,
  • Rita D’Agostino,
  • Daniela Danieli,
  • Paolo Fiammengo,
  • Micaela Foco,
  • Maria Frigeri,
  • Andrea Galvagno,
  • Matteo Gaudino,
  • Stefania Genoni,
  • Silvia Girotto,
  • Gianluca Gornati,
  • Marta Gozzi,
  • Enrica Heritier,
  • Antonella Lavagetto,
  • Raffaele Limauro,
  • Alessandra Magnelli,
  • Monica Malventano,
  • Silvia Marchi,
  • Natale Maresca,
  • Federico Marolla,
  • Agata Martinelli,
  • Chiara Martinez,
  • Nicoletta Mascarello,
  • Carla Matiotti,
  • Elisabetta Mazzucchi,
  • Donatella Moggia,
  • Manuela Musetti,
  • Paolo Nardini,
  • Alberto Neri,
  • Patrizia Neri,
  • Flavia Nicoloso,
  • Giancarlo Ottonello,
  • Giacinta Padula,
  • Rosanna Palazzi,
  • Alessandra Palmero,
  • Giovannina Pastorelli,
  • Marilena Pavoni,
  • Lucia Peccarisi,
  • Antonella Pellacani,
  • Cristina Perrera,
  • Michela Picciotti,
  • Ivo Picotto,
  • Tiziana Piunti,
  • Francesca Preziosi,
  • Giuseppe Primavera,
  • Miriam Prodi,
  • Maria Letizia Rabbone,
  • Innocenza Rafele,
  • Laura Reali,
  • Ada Riundi,
  • Paolo Rosas,
  • Annarita Russo,
  • Mariagrazia Saccà,
  • Elisabetta Sala,
  • Francesca Sala,
  • Francesca Santus,
  • Vittoria Sarno,
  • Alessandra Savino,
  • Raffaella Schirò,
  • Giuseppa Scornavacca,
  • Giovanni GiulianoSemprini,
  • Adelisa Spalla,
  • Gloria Sturaro,
  • Ettore Tomagra,
  • Maria Tortorella,
  • Fausta Trentadue,
  • Marina Trevisan,
  • Silvia Tulisso,
  • Roberta Usella,
  • Anna Valente,
  • Mariangela Valera,
  • Edda Vernile,
  • Valeria Vicario,
  • Lucia Vignutelli,
  • Paolo Vinci,
  • Lucia Vizziello,
  • Rosette Zand,
  • Marco Zanette,
  • Graziano Zucchi,
  • Giulia Segre,
  • Luca DeFiore,
  • Sergio ContiNibali,
  • Patrizia DelBalzo,
  • Chiara DiFrancesco,
  • Rossella ClaudiaCannavò,
  • Maria CristinaCantù,
  • Maria ConcettaCarbone,
  • Maria LauraCartiglia,
  • Rosario SalvatoreCavallo,
  • Maria AngelaCazzuffi,
  • MelaniaMaria GiuseppinaCera,
  • Anna MariaCostantini,
  • Luigi DeCarlo,
  • Marina DeSanctis,
  • Giuseppina DeSantes,
  • GianPiero DelBono,
  • MariaElisabetta DiPietro,
  • Maria ChiaraDini,
  • Maria TeresaFonte,
  • EmmaMaria LetiziaGiugnini,
  • Maria GabriellaMaiolino,
  • Laura MariaOlimpi,
  • Paolo MariaPaganuzzi,
  • Maria ChiaraParisini,
  • Franziska StefanieRempp,
  • Maria FrancescaSiracusano,
  • Maria GraziaToma,
  • Maria LuisaZuccolo

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-069797
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 6

Abstract

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Objective To assess the feasibility of the family paediatrician’s (FP) role in identifying the signs of postpartum depression in parents in time to guarantee child well-being.Design, setting and participants Data for this observational prospective study were collected within the NASCITA (NAscere e creSCere in ITAlia) cohort. During the first visit, paediatricians collected sociodemographic data regarding the parents and information about their health status, the pregnancy and the delivery. Whooley questions were administered during the first and second visits (scheduled 60–90 days after childbirth). Moreover, on the third visit (5–7 months after childbirth) the FP was asked to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to a question on the parental postpartum depression, based on his knowledge and on the acquired information.Results In 2203 couples who completed the assessment, 529 mothers (19.9%), 141 fathers (6.3%) and 110 (5%) couples reported any depressive symptomatology. Of these, 141 mothers (5.3% of the total sample) and 18 fathers (0.8% of the total sample) were classified as ‘likely depressed’. An association was found between maternal postnatal depressive symptoms and having a diagnosed psychiatric disorder during pregnancy (OR 9.49, 95% CI: 3.20 to 28.17), not exclusively breastfeeding at hospital discharge (OR 1.76, 95% CI: 1.19 to 2.61) and the presence of child sleeping disorders at 3 (OR 2.46, 95% CI: 1.41 to 4.28) and 6 months (OR 2.18, 95% CI: 1.37 to 3.47). Another significant predictor of postpartum depression was being primiparous (OR 1.99, 95% CI: 1.31 to 3.02). Concerning the fathers, a significant association was reported only between likely depressed fathers and child sleeping disorders at 3 months (OR 7.64, 95% CI: 2.92 to 19.97). Moreover, having a likely depressed partner was strongly associated with depressive symptoms in fathers (OR 85.53, 95% CI 26.83 to 272.69).Conclusions The findings of this study support the feasibility of an active screening programme for parental postnatal depression during well-child visits as an integral part of postpartum care.Trial registration number NCT03894566; Pre-results.