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Background <p>Postpartum depression (PPD) and other perinatal mood and anxiety disorders are of critical importance given their symptom burden, association with impaired mother-infant bonding, and negative relationship impacts with support persons. However, PPD remains less studied beyond six weeks postpartum in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This is concerning because the risk of poor outcomes is high due to shifting provisions of care and surveillance challenges. The aim of this review was to understand the extent of the evidence around the global prevalence of PPD symptoms from six weeks to six months postpartum.</p> Methods <p>A clinically-oriented search strategy was used to assess peer-reviewed articles published between 2019 and 2024 in PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL. Studies were screened by two independent reviewers, with a third resolving discrepancies. Studies were included if they presented primary data around the prevalence of PPD from six weeks to six months postpartum (inclusive). Geographic and measurement characteristics were extracted along with PPD symptom prevalence rates using Covidence and Excel, with analyses in StataBE.</p> Results <p>Most of the 78 included studies were from high- and upper-middle-income countries (76.93%) and over half measured PPD during the six-to-eight-week postpartum interval (53.85%). The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS; 83.33%) was the most utilized screening tool, with a median cut-off score of 11 (range 9 to 14). However, EPDS cut-off scores were reported inconsistently. There was methodological heterogeneity across studies, and rates of PPD symptoms ranged from 0.00% to 76.60% with a median of 16.00%.</p> Conclusions <p>This review found that PPD symptoms are common beyond the first six weeks postpartum, a time when care transitions and potential loss-to-follow-up may impact patient monitoring. However, more prevalence data are needed from LMICs, focusing beyond six-to-eight weeks postpartum, and at population levels, to establish rigorous global comparisons. More standardized reporting of screening tool cut-off scores are also needed to understand how PPD symptoms are measured.</p> Clinical trial number <p>Not applicable.</p>

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Assessing the global prevalence of depression symptoms between six weeks and six months postpartum: a scoping review

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月30日

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  • Evelyn Bigini,
  • Ashley Mitchell,
  • Marianna Ruiz Loria,
  • Siri Dalsmo Berge,
  • Kimberly Baltzell,
  • Priyanthi Borgen Gjerde,
  • Frode Fadnes Jacobsen,
  • Alden Hooper Blair

摘要

Background

Postpartum depression (PPD) and other perinatal mood and anxiety disorders are of critical importance given their symptom burden, association with impaired mother-infant bonding, and negative relationship impacts with support persons. However, PPD remains less studied beyond six weeks postpartum in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This is concerning because the risk of poor outcomes is high due to shifting provisions of care and surveillance challenges. The aim of this review was to understand the extent of the evidence around the global prevalence of PPD symptoms from six weeks to six months postpartum.

Methods

A clinically-oriented search strategy was used to assess peer-reviewed articles published between 2019 and 2024 in PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL. Studies were screened by two independent reviewers, with a third resolving discrepancies. Studies were included if they presented primary data around the prevalence of PPD from six weeks to six months postpartum (inclusive). Geographic and measurement characteristics were extracted along with PPD symptom prevalence rates using Covidence and Excel, with analyses in StataBE.

Results

Most of the 78 included studies were from high- and upper-middle-income countries (76.93%) and over half measured PPD during the six-to-eight-week postpartum interval (53.85%). The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS; 83.33%) was the most utilized screening tool, with a median cut-off score of 11 (range 9 to 14). However, EPDS cut-off scores were reported inconsistently. There was methodological heterogeneity across studies, and rates of PPD symptoms ranged from 0.00% to 76.60% with a median of 16.00%.

Conclusions

This review found that PPD symptoms are common beyond the first six weeks postpartum, a time when care transitions and potential loss-to-follow-up may impact patient monitoring. However, more prevalence data are needed from LMICs, focusing beyond six-to-eight weeks postpartum, and at population levels, to establish rigorous global comparisons. More standardized reporting of screening tool cut-off scores are also needed to understand how PPD symptoms are measured.

Clinical trial number

Not applicable.