ArticleSSM. Mental health2021
Is there an optimal screening tool for identifying perinatal depression within clinical settings of sub-Saharan Africa?
Article in SSM. Mental health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The association between sexual violence and mental disorders among women victim-survivors in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ global health · 2025Pooled it
- Prevalence of Perinatal Depression in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JAMA psychiatry · 2023Pooled it
- Depression and Anxiety Among Pregnant and Non-Pregnant Women in Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Prevalence and correlates of depressive and anxiety symptoms among pregnant women from an urban informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya: a community-based cross-sectional study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Article
- Using the WHO Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20) to Detect Symptoms of Common Mental Disorders among Pregnant Women in Vietnam: a Validation Study.International journal of women's health · 2023Article
- Reliability and validity of a perinatal depression screening instrument in rural Mali.SSM. Mental health · 2022Article
- Prevalence and risk factors associated with depression in pregnant adolescents in Nairobi, Kenya.Journal of affective disorders reports · 2022Article
- The importance of assessing and addressing mental health barriers to PrEP use during pregnancy and postpartum in sub-Saharan Africa: state of the science and research priorities.Journal of the International AIDS Society · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Depression is a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide and the most common complication of the perinatal period. Women in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are disproportionately impacted by perinatal depression. Maternal and child health (MCH) clinics are widely attended in SSA, offering a potential access point for depression screening. Yet, selection of optimal depression screening instruments for use within MCH clinics in SSA remains unclear. We synthesized evidence depicting relative strength of perinatal depression screening scales for use among African perinatal women within four evaluation domains: 1) diagnostic performance, 2) cultural adaptation, 3) feasibility and ease of implementation, 4) experience using the tool in SSA perinatal populations. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) had the most evidence among peripartum women in SSA, and a balance of feasibility, diagnostic performance metrics, and cultural adaptations. Other depressive screening instruments developed for general populations show strengths for application in African perinatal populations in at least one evaluation domain. Building health services capacity to integrate depression screening within routine MCH visits is an important next step to address perinatal depression in SSA.
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