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Factor Structure of the Japanese Version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in the Postpartum Period

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Background The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is a widely used screening tool for postpartum depression (PPD). Although the reliability and validity of EPDS in Japanese has been confirmed and the prevalence of PPD is found to be about the same as Western countries, the factor structure of the Japanese version of EPDS has not been elucidated yet. Methods 690 Japanese mothers completed all items of the EPDS at 1 month postpartum. We divided them randomly into two sample sets. The first sample set (n = 345) was used for exploratory factor analysis, and the second sample set was used (n = 345) for confirmatory factor analysis. Results The result of exploratory factor analysis indicated a three-factor model consisting of anxiety, depression and anhedonia. The results of confirmatory factor analysis suggested that the anxiety and anhedonia factors existed for EPDS in a sample of Japanese women at 1 month postpartum. The depression factor varies by the models of acceptable fit. Conclusions We examined EPDS scores. As a result, “anxiety” and “anhedonia” exist for EPDS among postpartum women in Japan as already reported in Western countries. Cross-cultural research is needed for future research.
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Factor Structure of the Japanese Version of the
Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in the Postpartum
Period
Chika Kubota
1
, Takashi Okada
1
*, Branko Aleksic
1
, Yukako Nakamura
1
, Shohko Kunimoto
1
,
Mako Morikawa
1
, Tomoko Shiino
1
, Ai Tamaji
1
, Harue Ohoka
2
, Naomi Banno
1
, Tokiko Morita
3
,
Satomi Murase
4
, Setsuko Goto
5
, Atsuko Kanai
6
, Tomoko Masuda
7
, Masahiko Ando
8
, Norio Ozaki
1
1Department of Psychiatry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, 2Nihon Fukushi University Chuo College of Social Services, Nagoya,
Aichi, Japan, 3Meijo University Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, 4Liaison Medical Marunouchi, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, 5Nagoya
University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, 6Graduate School of Education and Human Development, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan,
7Graduate School of Law, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, 8Center for Advanced Medicine and Clinical Research, Nagoya University Graduate School of
Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
Abstract
Background:
The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is a widely used screening tool for postpartum depression
(PPD). Although the reliability and validity of EPDS in Japanese has been confirmed and the prevalence of PPD is found to
be about the same as Western countries, the factor structure of the Japanese version of EPDS has not been elucidated yet.
Methods:
690 Japanese mothers completed all items of the EPDS at 1 month postpartum. We divided them randomly into
two sample sets. The first sample set (n = 345) was used for exploratory factor analysis, and the second sample set was used
(n = 345) for confirmatory factor analysis.
Results:
The result of exploratory factor analysis indicated a three-factor model consisting of anxiety, depression and
anhedonia. The results of confirmatory factor analysis suggested that the anxiety and anhedonia factors existed for EPDS in
a sample of Japanese women at 1 month postpartum. The depression factor varies by the models of acceptable fit.
Conclusions:
We examined EPDS scores. As a result, ‘‘anxiety’’ and ‘‘anhedonia’’ exist for EPDS among postpartum women in
Japan as already reported in Western countries. Cross-cultural research is needed for future research.
Citation: Kubota C, Okada T, Aleksic B, Nakamura Y, Kunimoto S, et al. (2014) Factor Structure of the Japanese Version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression
Scale in the Postpartum Period. PLoS ONE 9(8): e103941. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0103941
Editor: James Coyne, University of Pennsylvania, United States of America
Received December 11, 2013; Accepted July 7, 2014; Published August 4, 2014
Copyright: ß2014 Kubota et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Funding: Funding for this study was provided by research grants from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan; the Ministry
of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan; The Academic Frontier Project for Private Universities, Comparative Cognitive Science Institutes, Meijo University; the Core
Research for Evolutional Science and Technology; Intramural Research Grant (21B-2) for Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders of NCNP; and the Specific Research
Fund 2012 for East Japan Great Earthquake Revival by The New Technology Development Foundation. The funders had no role in study design, data collection
and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing Interests: Branko Aleksic and Norio Ozaki are PLOS ONE Editorial Board members. This does not alter the authors’ adherence to PLOS ONE Editorial
policies and criteria.
* Email: okada@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp
Introduction
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a type of major depressive
disorder after childbirth and is distinguished from maternity blues
in terms of onset, severity and duration of symptoms. The
prevalence of PPD is estimated at approximately 13% from meta-
analysis [1,2]. Our study shows 10.4% of women in Japan
experienced depressive symptomatology assessed by the Edin-
burgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) [3]. PPD is a major
mental health problem in women with children [4]. First, PPD
reduces maternal mental health and quality of life. 5–14% of
perinatal and postnatal women have thoughts of self-harm, and
suicides account for up to 20% of postpartum deaths [5]. Second,
PPD has a negative influence on child health and development
[6,7] because it interferes with the mother’s ability to care for a
baby and handle other daily tasks. Third, the mother-child
relationship often worsens because of PPD [8]. Severe depression
is also reported to be associated with child abuse [9].
Early detection and intervention are essential for maternal and
child health. EPDS, a 10-item self-administered questionnaire for
early detection of PPD [10], has been the most widely used
screening tool for PPD across countries and cultures. In recent
studies, the factor structure of the original English version of EPDS
has been reported as shown in Table 1 [11–18]. These results
suggest that anxiety symptoms account for a significant part of
PPD symptoms, unlike typical major depressive disorders. There
are only a few studies about the factor structure of EPDS outside
Western countries, but these studies show similar results: that
EPDS was found to contain at least two factors, a depressive factor
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and an anxiety factor in Brazil [19], China [19], and the
Netherlands [19].
The pathology of PPD has been thought to be caused by
biological and psychosocial changes with pregnancy and child-
birth. There is no direct evidence that PPD has a common
pathology across different populations, ethnicities and cultures;
however, the commonality of the prevalence of PPD [20] supports
this idea. If a common pathophysiology can be proven and this
hypothesis supported, it will become a significant step towards
understanding the common pathology of PPD. Because the cross-
cultural consistency of the factor structure of EPDS, however, has
yet not been examined, particularly outside Western countries,
more research is needed to answer the question.
In Japan, the reliability and validity of EPDS in Japanese has
been confirmed and the prevalence of PPD is found to be
comparable to the Western countries, but the factor structure of
the Japanese version of EPDS has not been elucidated. Therefore,
we examined the symptomatological structure of PPD measured
with the Japanese version of EPDS to compare with the structure
of the original English version of EPDS already reported in
Western countries.
Methods
Participants
Participants were recruited between August 2004 and October
2012. Every participant was an outpatient in a maternity ward at
one of three obstetrics and gynecology hospitals in Nagoya, Japan.
The three obstetrics hospitals were a general hospital (Nagoya
Teishin Hospital), an obstetrics and gynecology hospital (Kaseki
Hospital), and a university hospital (Nagoya University Hospital).
The eligibility criteria were as follows:
(1) attending at one of the three hospitals consecutively
(2) 20 years of age or older
(3) ability to understand the questionnaire written in Japanese.
Procedure
We explained our research design and methods to pregnant
women at maternity programs or outpatient care. In these three
hospitals, every outpatient equally receives an orientation for birth
hospitalization during the second trimester at outpatient care or
maternity program. We matched the timing of the invitation with
the timing of the orientation during the second trimester which
every patient participates. At the same time, participants received
a set of agreement documents and questionnaires. Each woman
was asked to participate in the study voluntarily and to answer all
of the questions according to the predefined schedule. If she
agreed to participate in the study, she was requested to return the
two sealed envelopes that contained the anonymous questionnaire
and the signed agreement separately. This was to guarantee
privacy. We considered a voluntarily returned envelope consent to
participate in this research.
Measurements
We assessed depressive symptoms in participants as well as their
social background (i.e. years of schooling, demographic parame-
ters). Depressive symptoms were evaluated by EPDS at about 1
month after childbirth.
EPDS is a 10-item self-report screening tool for postnatal
depression. Each item is scored on a 4-point scale ranging from 0
to 3. Total scores can range from 0 to 30. The English version of
Table 1. Factor structure of the English version of the EPDS.
First author,
Publishied year Period Country N Method Rotation Factor structure
Factor 1 Factor 2 Factor 3
Tuohy & McVey,2008 Postpartum 6.47 months U.K. 440 EEA Oblimin Non-specific depressive
symptoms:7, 8, 9, 10
Anhedonia:1, 2 Anxiety symptoms:3, 4, 5
King, 2012 Postpartum 1 week-12 months U.S.A. 169 CFA None Non-specific depressive
symptoms:7, 8, 9, 10
Anhedonia:1, 2 Anxiety symptoms:3, 4, 5
Astbury, 1994 Postpartum 8–9 months Australia 790 PCA Oblimin Depression:1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 Anxiety:3, 4, 5 -
Matthey, 2008 Postpartum 6 weeks Australia 238 PCA Varimax Depression:1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 Anxiety:3, 4, 5 -
Phillips, 2009 Postpartum 0–12 months Australia 309 EEA/CFA Oblimin Depression:1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 Anxiety:3, 4, 5 -
Ross, 2003 Pregnant 36 weeks/Postpartum 6
and 16 weeks
Canada 150 PCA Varimax Depression:1, 2, 8, 9 Anxiety:3, 4, 5 Suicide 10
Jomeen, 2005 Postpartum 13.6 weeks U.K. 101 EEA/CFA Oblimin Depression:1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9 Anxiety:3, 4, 5 Suicide 10
Swalm, 2010 Postpartum 26 weeks Australia 4706 PCA Varimax Anhedonia:1, 2 Anxiety:3, 4, 5 -
(EEA: exploratory factor analysis, CFA: confirmatory factor analysis, PCA: principal component analysis).
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0103941.t001
Factor Structure of EPDS in Japan
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EPDS has good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.87)
and reliability (split half reliability = 0.88) [10].
EPDS was translated into Japanese by Okano et al. in 1996 and
confirmed that the retranslated English version was the equivalent
to the original English version [21]. The validity and reliability of
this Japanese version of EPDS were also examined against 115
non-pregnant women and 47 women at 1 month postpartum by
Okano et al [21]. It had good internal consistency (Cronbach’s
alpha = 0.78) and test–retest reliability (Spearman correlation
= 0.92) [21]. The validity was examined against a diagnosis of
major depressive disorder from the semi-structured interview-
based Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) [22] as external
criteria. The total score of the women who have postpartum
depression (N = 4) was higher than that of the non-depressive
postpartum women (N = 43) [21] and the cut-off point of §9
showed good sensitivity (75%) and specificity (93%) [21].
This is the standardized Japanese version and no other Japanese
version of EPDS is used in Japan. In this study, we used this
Japanese version of EPDS and the cut-off point of §9in
accordance with the previous study [21].
Data analysis
We randomly divided all participants who completed all items
of EPDS into two sample sets. The first sample set was used for
exploratory factor analysis, and the second sample set for
confirmatory factor analysis.
Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA)
The number of factors was determined by scree plot. An EFA
with maximum-likelihood extraction was undertaken on the full
10-item EPDS. Oblique rotation using the promax rotation was
performed due to an expectation that factors would be correlated.
Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA)
We chose the model identified in EFA and the models reported
in the original English version of EPDS as follows:
(1) Tuohy & McVey/King; three-factor [11,15]
(2) Astbury et al. /Matthey/Phillips et al.; two-factor [13,16,17]
(3) Ross et al.; three-factor [14]
(4) Jomeen et al.; three-factor [12]
(5) Swalm et al.; two-factor [18]
(6) Model identified in the EFA; three-factor
As recommended for structural equation modeling applications
[23,24], we used the goodness-of-fit index (GFI) [25], adjusted
goodness-of-fit index (AGFI) [23], comparative fit index (CFI)
[26], and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA)
[27]. A good fit is defined as a GFI greater than 0.95, an AGFI
greater than 0.90, a CFI greater than 0.97 and an RMSEA less
than 0.05. An acceptable fit is defined as a GFI greater than 0.90,
an AGFI greater than 0.85, a CFI greater than 0.95 and an
RMSEA less than 0.08 [25] [23] [26] [27]. Data were analyzed
using SPSS version 20.0 and Amos 19.0 (IBM Japan, Tokyo,
Japan).
Results
Characteristics of participants
812 participants agreed to participate in this study. The mean
age of the participants was 32.1 years (range: 20 to 45 years,
Standard Deviation (S.D.) 4.5 years, interquartile range (IQR) 29–
35). Average years of schooling were 14.4 years (range: 9 to 18
years, S.D. = 1.6 years, IQR 14–16). In terms of parity, 67.0% of
participants were nulliparous, 24.4% of participants were primip-
arous, 7.9% of participants had given birth two times, and 0.6% of
participants had given birth three times (range: 0 to 3 children,
S.D. = 0.7, IQR 0–1). 690 out of the 812 women completed all
items of EPDS. The non-response rate is 75 of 812 and the non-
valid response rate is 51 of 812.
EPDS scores
The median postpartum EPDS score was 3 (range: 0–22,
S.D. = 4.53, IQR 1–7). Approximately 18.4% of women scored 9–
22 and were considered at high risk of postpartum depression. The
median infant age was 31.7 days (range: 16–64, S.D. = 6.9 days,
IQR 30–34).
Factor analysis
690 participants who completed all items of EPDS were divided
randomly into two groups. The first sample set of 345 participants
was used for EFA, and the second sample set of 345 participants
was used for CFA.
EFA
The dataset was found suitable for factor analysis (the Kaiser-
Meyer-Olkin index = 0.886). The Cronbach’s alpha for the 10-
item EPDS was 0.856, indicating the test has good instrument
Table 2. Factor analysis of the Japanese version Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale.
Items of the EPDS Factor 1 Factor 2 Factor 3
1. I have been able to laugh and see the funny side of things. 2.034 1.055 2.075
2. I have looked forward with enjoyment to things. .026 .599 .135
3. I have blamed myself unnecessarily when things went wrong. .684 .067 .026
4. I have been anxious or worried for no good reason. .755 .023 2.072
5. I have felt scared or panicky for not very good reason. .803 2.078 2.044
6. Things have been getting on top of me. .238 .140 .141
7. I have been so unhappy that I have had difficulty sleeping. .011 .028 .741
8. I have felt sad or miserable. .352 .065 .497
9. I have been so unhappy that I have been crying. 2.112 .000 .824
10. The thought of harming myself has occurred to me. .255 2.086 .267
(N = 690, maximum-likelihood estimation, promax rotation).
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0103941.t002
Factor Structure of EPDS in Japan
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internal reliability. The scree test indicated a three-factor solution
which accounted for 64.4% of the variance. The anhedonia,
anxiety and depression factors appeared consistent with factors
identified in our studies. A coefficient level of 0.45 or above was
chosen to indicate significant item factor loading.
The first factor, which explained 43.4% of the total variance,
included EPDS items 3, 4, 5 with factor loadings .0.45 (listed in
Table 2). Items 3, 4 and 5 were found to have the highest factor
loadings (all.0.65), consistent with previous findings that identi-
fied this factor as an ‘‘anxiety’’ subscale within EPDS. The second
factor explained 12.1% of the total variance, and included items 1
and 2 with factor loadings.0.45. Items 1 and 2 had the highest
factor loadings (.0.55), consistent with previous findings that
identified this factor as an ‘‘anhedonia’’ subscale within EPDS.
The third factor explained 8.8% of the total variance, and
included items 7, 8 and 9 with factor loadings .0.45. Items 7 and
9 had the highest factor loadings (.0.7), consistent with previous
findings that identified this factor as a ‘‘depression’’ subscale within
EPDS.
CFA
The goodness-of-fit for the data represented by GFI, AGFI, CFI
and RMSEA are shown in Table 3. In the models of Tuohy &
McVey and King, GFI and AGFI showed good fit while CFI and
RMSEA showed acceptable fit. In the models of Astbury et al. and
Matthey and Phillips et al., GFI, AGFI, CFI and RMSEA showed
unsatisfactory fit. In the model of Ross et al., GFI, AGFI, CFI and
RMSEA showed unsatisfactory fit. In the model of Jomeen et al.,
GFI, AGFI, CFI and RMSEA showed unsatisfactory fit. In the
model of Swalm et al., GFI, AGFI, CFI and RMSEA showed good
fit. In the model identified in EFA, GFI and AGFI showed good
fit. CFI and RMSEA showed acceptable fit. We therefore
concluded that there were four acceptable models: those of Tuohy
& McVey, King, Swalm et al., and as identified in EFA. We also
concluded that the models of Astbury et al., Matthey and Phillips
et al., Ross et al. and Jomeen et al. were unsatisfactory.
Correlations between factors in the models of an acceptable fit
or a good fit were as follows. In the models of Tuohy & McVey
and King, correlation between ‘‘anxiety’’ and ‘‘depression’’ was
0.84, correlation between ‘‘depression’’ and ‘‘anhedonia’’ was
0.64, and correlation between ‘‘anhedonia’’ and ‘‘anxiety’’ was
0.60. In the model of Swalm et al., correlation between
‘‘anhedonia’’ and ‘‘anxiety’’ was 0.60. In the model identified in
EFA, correlation between ‘‘anxiety’’ and ‘‘depression’’ was 0.85,
correlation between ‘‘depression’’ and ‘‘anhedonia’’ was 0.66, and
correlation between ‘‘anhedonia’’ and ‘‘anxiety’’ was 0.60.
Discussion
This is the first study demonstrating the factor structure of the
Japanese version of EPDS using a large sample of postpartum
women. The model of EFA reported by Tuohy & McVey, King
and Swalm et al., was consistent with our model in the present
study of the Japanese version of EPDS. The model consists of
common factors, an anxiety factor (items 3, 4 and 5) and an
anhedonia factor (items 1 and 2). Thus, our findings suggest that
factor structure of EPDS in Japan is basically the same as already
reported in Western countries, although there was variance
between studies on some items of EPDS.
No previous papers have reported the factor structure of the
Japanese version of EPDS, however there are some studies about
the symptoms of PPD in Japan. Tamaki et al. showed that women
with PPD have strong anxiety symptoms by the State-Trait
Anxiety Inventory Trait test [28]. Sato Y et al. revealed that the
Table 3. Goodness-of-fit of the models.
First author, Publishied year Factor structure Goodness-of-fit of the models
Factor 1 Factor 2 Factor 3 GFI AGFI CFI RMSEA
1. Tuohy & McVey, 2008/King, 2012 Non-specific depressive
symptoms:7, 8, 9, 10
Anhedonia:1, 2 Anxiety symptoms:3, 4, 5 0.965 0.934 0.958 0.065
2. Astbury, 1994/Matthey, 2008/Phillips, 2009 Depression:1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 Anxiety:3, 4, 5 - 0.870 0.796 0.852 0.136
3. Ross, 2003 Depression:1, 2, 8, 9 Anxiety:3, 4, 5 Suicide:10 0.896 0.790 0.881 0.152
4. Jomeen, 2005 Depression:1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9 Anxiety:3, 4, 5 Suicide:10 0.883 0.810 0.868 0.132
5. Swalm, 2010 Anhedonia:1, 2 Anxiety:3, 4, 5 - 0.992 0.970 0.995 0.05
6. Model identified in the EFA in this study Anxiety:3, 4, 5 Anhedonia:1, 2 Depression:7, 8, 9 0.954 0.902 0.962 0.092
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0103941.t003
Factor Structure of EPDS in Japan
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prevalence of anxiety symptoms was higher than that of depressive
symptoms after childbirth [29]. These results also suggest that
anxiety symptoms are important to understand the symptomatic
character of PPD in Japan.
In the other Asian countries, there are a few studies of the factor
structure of EPDS. Small et al. analyzed the factor structure of
EPDS in Vietnam, Turkey and Philippines [30].Small et al.
pointed out that Item 6 loaded less consistently in the different
countries, however they also suggest that EPDS have two or three
factors which consists of anxiety and depression. Lau Y et al.
showed that EPDS in China consists of the three factors as
depression factor(items 6, 7, 8. 9 and 10), anxiety factor(items 3,4
and 5) and anhedonia factor(items 1 and 2) [31]. These results are
very similar to the factor structure of EPDS in Japan by our study.
The depression factor
The depression factor varies across studies. Tuohy & McVey
and King suggested items 7, 8, 9, and 10, Swalm suggested no
depression factor, and the EFA in our study showed items 7, 8, and
9. Though the best fit was the model of Swalm et al., we proposed
the EFA model because the model of Swalm excluded half of all
EPDS items. Cross-cultural studies are needed to examine whether
a common depression factor exists or not.
The anhedonia factor
All of the acceptable models show the anhedonia factor (items 1
and 2), which is reverse scoring. As reverse scoring items tend to be
in the same cluster [32], we must take into account that reverse
scoring items has been found to affect factor analysis.
The anxiety factor
The anxiety factor (items 3, 4 and 5) was shown in many
countries, such as Brazil [33,34], China [31], and the Netherlands
[19]. Considering the existence of a common anxiety factor across
different countries and cultures, the importance of anxiety
symptoms for PPD has been revealed. In fact, it is reported that
about 10% of the women experiencing postpartum depression
have anxiety symptoms [35].
The utility of the anxiety factor (items 3, 4 and 5) is discussed in
some studies as follows. Some studies have suggested that items 3,
4 and 5 can measure anxiety disorder [18,36], and other studies
suggested that items 3, 4 and 5 are enough for PPD screening [14]
[37]. Although the utility of the anxiety factor (item 3, 4 and 5)
varies by study, as mentioned before, there is some possibility of
common utility of the anxiety factor around the world.
Correlation between factors
The correlations between ‘‘anxiety’’ and ‘‘depression’’ were
found to be high in the models of acceptable fit to the data. These
results suggested that there was a very close relationship between
depression and anxiety, as previously reported [38,39], and
showed that it was important to focus on anxiety symptoms in
PPD screening and care.
Limitations
There are some types of study bias in this study. First, there is a
self-selection bias. They participated in this study voluntarily. This
also means that they pay more attention to their mental health.
Second, there are losses to follow up. Women with depression are
hard to reply the questionnaire. Third, there is a membership bias.
We cannot affirm that a standard population in Japan is shown in
these participants from three characteristic hospitals, a general
hospital, an obstetrical and gynecological hospital, and a university
hospital. The patients at the university hospital tended to have
pregnancy complications, but these participants accounted for a
small percentage of all participants (N = 42, 5.2%). Fourth, there is
a non-response bias, however the non-response rate is 75 of 812
and the non-valid response rate is 51 of 812. We consider that
these rates are not so high and the result is not affected.
Furthermore, there is a problem with this study design. We did
not ask participants for their nationality, citizenship or ethnicity.
However, Japan is considered to be highly homogenous in terms of
population, therefore we consider this problem does not affect the
result of the study.
Conclusions
We examined factor structure of the Japanese version of EPDS
in a large sample size of postpartum women in Japan. As a result,
‘‘anxiety’’, ‘‘depression’’ and ‘‘anhedonia’’ factors exist for EPDS,
as already reported in Western countries. Our findings suggest that
the factor structure of EPDS is mostly common across countries
and cultures.
Ethics Statement
This study protocol has been approved by the Ethics Committee
of the Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine.
Author Contributions
Conceived and designed the experiments: SM SG AK TM NO. Performed
the experiments: CK YN SK MM TS AT HO NB TM. Analyzed the data:
CK MA NO. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: CK YN SK
MM TS AT HO NB TM. Wrote the paper: CK TO BA YN SK MA NO.
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Factor Structure of EPDS in Japan
PLOS ONE | www.plosone.org 6 August 2014 | Volume 9 | Issue 8 | e103941
... Since its creation, the EPDS has been verified against clinical diagnoses in more than 60 languages [10], and it is recognized as the most widely used and thoroughly validated tool for screening depression in pregnant and postpartum women [11]. Although the EPDS was created as a unidimensional measure, many studies [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] have examined its factor structure using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and/or confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Presious studies of EPDS factor structures supported different types of factor structure, including one-, two-, and three-factor structures. ...
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Background Perinatal 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. Methods 4139 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. Results A 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. Conclusion The 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.
... The Q5 were grouped in the 'depression' factor in the EFA. However, the question ("I fear or panic when there is no good reason") should theoreticallybe related to 'anxiety' factor, which was also suggested by EPDS literature [34][35][36]. Therfore, we tried another CFA (model 3) in which 'anhedonia' factor included Q1-2, 'anxiety' factor included Q3-6, 'depression' factor included Q7-10 ( Figure 2). This model also had sufficient model fit (χ 2 p=0.099; ...
Article
Objectives: Perinatal depression (PD) affects individuals during pregnancy and early parenthood, resembling major depression. Recent research highlights paternal perinatal depression (PPD) in fathers. PPD has adverse effects on fathers and their children. This study assesses the Turkish version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) for Turkish fathers, aiming to provide a tool for PPD identification. Methods: This methodological study validates the EPDS for Turkish fathers and explores associations with demographic and psychosocial factors. The study involved 295 fathers with infants aged 2 weeks to 12 months. The EPDS, originally designed for perinatal depression and validated in Turkish women, was used. Fathers completed a participant information questionnaire, the EPDS, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) during clinic visits. Data on sociodemographic factors, paternal roles, and pregnancy and postpartum support were collected. Mothers also completed the EPDS. Descriptive statistics , exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis , and correlation tests were used. Results: The study included fathers with an average age of 30.5 years, mostly with a high school education or higher. The EPDS had a mean total score of 3.1. Factor analysis suggested a three-factor structure for the EPDS in Turkish fathers, including anhedonia, anxiety, and depression. Confirmatory factor analysis validated the three-factor structure, with acceptable model fit indices. Positive correlations were found between fathers' EPDS scores, maternal EPDS scores, and paternal BDI scores. The EPDS effectively discriminated between different levels of depression severity. Various factors, such as education level and lack of support during pregnancy and after childbirth, were associated with higher EPDS scores. Conclusions: These findings emphasize the significance of assessing and addressing PPD in fathers, supporting the use of the EPDS as a valid tool in the Turkish context. The three-factor structure aligns with international research, highlighting the importance of a multi-dimensional approach to PPD assessment. Early intervention can mitigate PPD's impact on fathers, mothers, and children, benefiting mental health and well-being.
... Our study, along with chen et al. 's (2023) study, utilized translated versions of the scale. While the italian and Japanese translations have been validated [37,54] and proven reliable for assessing perinatal depression [46,55], including a similar factor structure encompassing anxiety and anhedonia [56,57], the translation process may still introduce inconsistencies. this issue underscores the importance of establishing cross-cultural validity for psychological assessments. ...
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Background This study aims to examine whether the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), excluding the self-harm item (EPDS-9), performs as effectively as the full EPDS in identifying depression among perinatal women. Methods A total of 3571 pregnant women and 3850 postpartum women participated in this observational study. Participants who scored ≥ 9 on the EPDS underwent further diagnostic evaluations by a clinical psychologist and/or psychiatrist. Results The EPDS-9 and full EPDS demonstrated a near-perfect correlation in both the antepartum (r = 0.996) and postpartum (r = 0.998) cohorts. EPDS-9 showed exceptional precision in identifying depression as screened by the full EPDS at cutoff points ranging 9–14, with areas under the curve ≥0.998. The sensitivity of EPDS-9 and full EPDS to detect depression that requires psychotropic medications was poor. The highest accuracy for both versions was at a cutoff score of 9: sensitivity of 0.579 for the full EPDS and 0.526 for the EPDS-9. At the cutoff point of 9, EPDS-9 performed adequately in predicting the response of the participants to the self-harm item. Conclusion The EPDS-9 represents a solid and effective replacement for the full EPDS in clinical settings. If the presence of suicidal thoughts needs to be assessed, specialized scales should be used.
... There is no appropriate tool for assessing depression in men with a perinatal partner. The Japanese version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS-J) is used to assess maternal depression during the postpartum period (Kubota et al., 2014) and pregnancy period (Usuda et al., 2017); and has also been administered to fathers (Nishimura et al., 2015;Suto et al., 2016;Takehara et al., 2017). Therefore, we used the EPDS-J to assess paternal perinatal depression in this study. ...
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Introduction: Paternal depression is not as widely recognized as maternal depression. Studies in Japan have examined the factors associated with paternal depression, but these have been limited to specific regions rather than conducted on a nationwide scale. This study aimed to examine changes in paternal perinatal depression from the last trimester of pregnancy to one year postpartum. Additionally, we explored the relationship between paternal perinatal depression and fathers' feelings toward their infants. Methods: This study used a longitudinal design. We initially planned to collect data from over 384 cases based on sample size calculations, and successfully collected data from 494 men in the first survey. However, more than half of the participants dropped out in the second and subsequent surveys, resulting in 201 men completing the longitudinal survey over a one-year period. Results: The mean Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, Japanese version (EPDS-J) score in the last trimester of pregnancy was 9.274 (95% confidence interval [CI] 8.413-10.134), which was the highest throughout the study period. The mean EPDS-J score was lowest at 3-5 months postpartum, with a score of 7.682 (95% CI 6.816-8.547). At all time points, occupational stress and partner relationships were associated with EPDS-J scores. Conclusions: Reducing paternal perinatal depression requires controlling for occupational stress and maintaining good marital relationships. The findings suggest that addressing work-life balance is crucial for Japanese fathers to enhance their whole-family well-being. Keywords: fathers, marital relationship, occupational stress, perinatal depression
... The EPDS scores obtained in this study were generally consistent with results from previous Japanese studies. 8,52 Analysis revealed an inverse association between cognitive social capital and postpartum depression, regardless of the measurement time point. Our findings are consistent with those of previous studies. ...
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Purpose Several studies have reported an apparent inverse association between cognitive social capital and depression in various groups, but insights into this association in perinatal mothers are fairly limited. Therefore, we explored the possible associations between expectant mothers’ cognitive social capital (ie, neighborhood trust and reciprocity and generalized trust and reciprocity) and postpartum depression at 1 and 6 months after delivery. Patients and Methods As part of an ongoing cohort study, the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, cognitive social capital was evaluated using a questionnaire survey during mid-late pregnancy and postpartum depression was assessed using the Japanese version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. This study analyzed data from 81,670 mothers. Logistic regression analysis was performed to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) for postpartum depression by the degree of neighborhood and generalized trust and reciprocity (high, relatively high, neutral, relatively low, and low) using the high category as a reference. Results Regardless of the measurement time point, prevalence gradually increased as the degree of neighborhood trust decreased (all p < 0.001), suggesting a higher likelihood of postpartum depression with less neighborhood trust. A comparable tendency was also observed for the other three variables of cognitive social capital (all p < 0.001). Moreover, the inverse association of postpartum depression with generalized trust and reciprocity was markedly stronger (ORs for low category ≥ 2.70) than that with neighborhood trust and reciprocity (ORs for low category ≤ 1.96). Conclusion Our findings highlight a statistically significant inverse association between cognitive social capital during pregnancy and postpartum depression at both time points.
... However, the variables of goodness of fit were not sufficient (adjusted goodness of fit index; AGFI = 0.766, comparative fit index; CFI = 0.782, root mean square error of approximation; RMSEA = 0.165). Kubota et al. (35) reported that the result of exploratory factor analysis indicated a three-factor model consisting of anxiety, depression, and anhedonia. Therefore, a confirmatory factor analysis of three factors was conducted, and the goodness of fit was better than that of a one-factor structure; the statistical values were sufficient (AGFI = 0.952, CFI = 0.932, FIGURE 1 The hypothesized model. ...
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Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased social isolation for mothers, and rumination exacerbates postpartum depression in mothers with poor social support. Although behavioral activation can help to decrease their depressive symptoms, the mechanism by which behavioral activation reduces postpartum depression remains unclear. Methods We examined the effects of rumination and behavioral activation on depression in postpartum women by examining a model mediated by subjective reward perception. A questionnaire was administered to 475 postpartum women (Age: Mean = 30.74 years, SD = 5.02) within 1 year of childbirth using an Internet survey. The measurements included perinatal depression, rumination, and behavioral activation, and we assessed environmental reward. To control for confounding variables, we assessed psychiatric history, social support, parenting perfectionism, and COVID-19 avoidance. Results Eighty-four (17.68%) mothers had possible postpartum depression. The covariance structure analysis showed that not only was there a direct positive path from rumination to postnatal depression but also a negative path via reward perception. Discussion This finding indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic could have increased depression in many of the mothers. Rumination not only directly relates to postpartum depression, but it could also indirectly relate to postpartum depression by decreasing exposure to positive reinforcers. In addition, having a history of psychiatric illness increases the effect of rumination on postpartum depression. These findings suggest that psychological interventions are needed to reduce rumination and increase contact with positive reinforcements to reduce postpartum depression, especially for high-risk groups.
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Plain language summary Postpartum depression (PPD) is a significant concern affecting new mothers worldwide. Recognizing the need for practical screening tools tailored to specific cultural contexts, researchers set out to adapt and validate the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Why was the study done? Researchers aimed to adapt and validate the EPDS for Eritrea to provide a reliable tool for detecting PPD in mothers who recently gave birth. This is crucial as PPD is a severe condition affecting maternal and family well-being, and existing tools were not tailored for the Eritrean cultural context. What did the researchers do and find? The EPDS was translated into a local language and tested among new mothers in Asmara, Eritrea. Following the translation, they tested the scale’s reliability and validity by administering it to a group of new mothers in primary healthcare settings in Asmara, Eritrea. The findings were promising; the translated EPDS retained its reliability and validity, effectively identifying mothers experiencing symptoms of postpartum depression. This validation suggests the adapted EPDS is a robust tool for screening PPD in the Eritrean context. What do these results mean? The successful validation of the EPDS for Eritrean mothers is a significant advancement for maternal health care in Eritrea. Healthcare providers can now use this culturally and linguistically appropriate tool to screen for postpartum depression, leading to early detection and intervention. Improving screening can significantly enhance new mothers’ mental health and overall well-being, supporting healthier families and communities.
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Background Perinatal depression is a significant concern affecting both women and men during pregnancy and postpartum periods. While maternal postpartum depression has been extensively studied, paternal depression remains under-researched despite its prevalence and impact on family well-being. This study aimed to estimate the trajectories of perinatal and postpartum depression in Japanese parents over ten years and to determine the details of the symptoms of postpartum depression for each trajectory group, considering reciprocal effects between maternal and paternal depression. Methods A total of 789 couples used the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale to rate their depressive symptoms prenatally; at 5 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year postpartum; and then yearly thereafter until the 10th year. Parallel-process latent class growth analysis was used to group participants according to their longitudinal patterns of depressive symptoms. Results For both mothers and fathers, four depressive symptom trajectories fit the data best and were most informative (escalating: 6.5 %; mothers low and fathers moderate: 17.2 %; mothers high and fathers low: 17.9 %; low: 58.4 %). A variance analysis showed significant class-parent interactions across anhedonia, anxiety, and depression subscales, indicating distinct patterns of depressive symptomatology. Discussion Tailored mental health programs and universal screening using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale are recommended to address the specific needs of each trajectory class. This study contributes to the understanding of long-term depressive symptom trajectories in parents and emphasizes the necessity of comprehensive support strategies to enhance family well-being and resilience.
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We highlight critical conceptual and statistical issues and how to resolve them in conducting Satorra–Bentler (SB) scaled difference chi-square tests. Concerning the original (Satorra & Bentler, 200124. Satorra , A. and Bentler , P. M. 2001. A scaled difference chi-square test statistic for moment structure analysis. Psychometrika, 66: 507–514. [CrossRef], [Web of Science ®]View all references) and new (Satorra & Bentler, 201025. Satorra , A. and Bentler , P. M. 2010. Ensuring positiveness of the scaled chi-square test statistic. Psychometrika, 75: 243–248. [CrossRef], [Web of Science ®]View all references) scaled difference tests, a fundamental difference exists in how to compute properly a model's scaling correction factor (c), depending on the particular structural equation modeling software used. Because of how LISREL 8 defines the SB scaled chi-square, LISREL users should compute c for each model by dividing the model's normal theory weighted least-squares (NTWLS) chi-square by its SB chi-square, to recover c accurately with both tests. EQS and Mplus users, in contrast, should divide the model's maximum likelihood (ML) chi-square by its SB chi-square to recover c. Because ML estimation does not minimize the NTWLS chi-square, however, it can produce a negative difference in nested NTWLS chi-square values. Thus, we recommend the standard practice of testing the scaled difference in ML chi-square values for models M 1 and M 0 (after properly recovering c for each model), to avoid an inadmissible test numerator. We illustrate the difference in computations across software programs for the original and new scaled tests and provide LISREL, EQS, and Mplus syntax in both single- and multiple-group form for specifying the model M 10 that is involved in the new test.
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