Sensitivity and specificity of the three Whooley and Arroll questions for detecting perinatal depression in Mexican women

Abstract: Objective: To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the Two Whooley questions and the Arroll question, using the SCID, The Structured Clinical Interview (SCID-I) as the gold standard for detecting perinatal depression. Materials and methods: We interviewed 210 women during pregnancy and 6 months postpartum. Results: The criterion with the greatest sensitivity was responding positively to either Whooley question (pregnancy= 94.7 %; postpartum=100.0%), while the most specific criterion was responding positively to the two Whooley questions plus the Arroll question (Pregnancy=90.0% Postpartum = 85.7%). Conclusion: The Whooley and Arroll questions have adequate psychometric properties to detect possible cases of depression during the perinatal period. They can be applied during prenatal check-ups and postpartum consultations. Timely detection of women at risk of perinatal depression can contribute to their treatment for reducing their adverse consequences in mothers and infants.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Navarrete,Laura, Nieto,Lourdes, Lara,Ma. Asunción, Lara,Ma. del Carmen
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública 2019
Online Access:http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0036-36342019000100008
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