2002 International International Biennial Scientific Meeting

DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS DURING PREGNANCY AND AFTER CHILDBIRTH - A LONGITUDINAL SURVEY AMONG BLACK CARIBBEAN AND WHITE BRITISH WOMEN

Dawn Edge and Deborah Baker

National Primary Care Research and Development Centre (NPCRDC), University of Manchester

Dawnette.Edge@stud.man.ac.uk

Background: Poorer mental health is purportedly associated with deprivation. Since Black Caribbean women are over-represented in disadvantaged groups in England, it was hypothesised that women from this ethnic minority group would be more likely to be diagnosed with perinatal depression than White British women.

Objectives: Research was undertaken to:

• estimate the prevalence of perinatal depressive symptoms among a cohort of Black Caribbean women
• compare results with those of White British women sharing common socio-economic and demographic characteristics
• identify psychosocial risk factors associated with above-threshold EPDS scores

Methods: A multi-method longitudinal survey was conducted in Manchester, UK. 301 women (200 White British and 101 Black Caribbean) were screened using self-completion questionnaires incorporating the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and socio-economic and demographic items together with recognised risk factors for perinatal depression. Antenatal questionnaires were administered during the last trimester of pregnancy and postal questionnaires six weeks following delivery.

Results: There was no significant difference in EPDS scores either antenatally or postnatally between Black Caribbean and White British women. White British women reported higher levels of depressive symptoms antenatally (at EPDS cut-off 14, 29% of White British and 22% Black Caribbean women scored above threshold). Black Caribbean women reported higher scores postnatally (24% of Black Caribbean and 17% of White British women scored above threshold - EPDS 12). Preliminary logistic regression analyses suggest that different psychosocial risk factors are associated with high EPDS scores for Black Caribbean and White British women.

Conclusions: Whilst no differences in levels of depressive symptoms between Black Caribbean women and White British women were detected in this study, there were clear indications that the social and psychological correlates of depression varied between these ethnic groups. This has implications for theoretical models of the causes of perinatal depression that are almost exclusively constructed from studies of white women.