Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39819591›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2025

Factor structure and longitudinal measurement invariance of Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale during the whole perinatal period: a multicenter cohort study in China.

Jichun Yang, Yu Jiang, Yimin Qu, Yongle Zhan, Haihui Ma, Xiaoxiu Li, Dongmei Man, Hongguo Wu, Ping Huang

Abstract readMulticenter Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Jichun YangDepartment of Reproductive Medicine, NHC Key Laboratory of Healthy Birth and Birth Defect Prevention in Western China, the First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province & the Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650032, China.
Yu JiangSchool of Health Policy and Management, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China. jiangyu@pumc.edu.cn.
Yimin QuDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Population Medicine and Public Health, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China.
Yongle ZhanSchool of Public Health, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong, 999077, China.
Haihui MaDepartment of Obstetrics, TongZhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Beijing, Beijing, 101149, China.
Xiaoxiu LiDepartment of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Dongguan Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Dongguan, 523125, China.
Dongmei ManDepartment of Obstetrics, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Jining, 272007, China.
Hongguo WuDepartment of Perinatal Health, Jiaxian Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Jiaxian, 467199, China.
Ping HuangDepartment of Nutrition, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China.

Funding

Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Innovation Fund supported the work for Medical Sciences 2016-I2 and M-1-008
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPerinatal depression is common worldwide, which can cause many adverse effects on the physical and mental health of the mother and baby, as well as the whole family. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is an efficient and effective instrument for perinatal depression. However, few studies have examined its longitudinal measurement invariance (LMI) during the whole perinatal period, which is particularly important in longitudinal studies, such as exploring developmental trajectories of perinatal depression and evaluating the effects of certain interventions.

methods4139 pregnant women from 24 hospitals in 15 provinces of China were measured using EPDS in the first, second, third trimesters and 6 weeks postpartum. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were used to explore the factor structure of EPDS at each time point. Multi-group analyses were performed to examine LMI of EPDS.

resultsA three-factor model was optimal at all time points, showing the clearest factor structure and best model fit: Anhedonia (Items 1-2), Anxiety (Items 3-6), Depression (Items 7-10). Internal reliability of EPDS was good at all time points (e.g., Cronbach's α > 0.80). A series of multi-group analyses further indicated that the EPDS held strict LMI (configural, metric, scalar and strict invariance) during the perinatal period.

conclusionThe findings further confirmed three-factor structure and good reliability of the EPDS when used in Chinese pregnant and postpartum women. The LMI justified comparisons of EPDS scores among different measurement time points.

Indexed as

Depression, PostpartumPsychiatric Status Rating ScalesAdultChinaCohort StudiesFactor Analysis, StatisticalFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesPregnancyPsychometricsReproducibility of ResultsYoung AdultCohort studyDimensionalityEPDSLongitudinal measurement invariancePerinatal depression

Identifiers

PMID39819591
PMCPMC11740660

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