Marissa Reiner
Maternity Research Article Critique
Purpose
This study explores the effects of a brief individual psychoanalytic therapy on perinatal depressive symptoms. A group of 40 women presenting depressive symptoms (treatment group) participated in a four-session intervention called ‘Psychotherapy centered on parenthood (PCP)’. It consists in two antenatal and two postnatal sessions and is focused on changing problematic representations of parenthood. This treatment group was compared to a control group of 88 women without depressive symptoms and following the usual obstetrical care.
Measures Used
Edinburgh postnatal depression scale:
The EPDS is a questionnaire widely used to measure depressive symptoms during the perinatal period. According to Murray and Carothers (1990), the EPDS is a reliable method to identify depressive mothers (sensitivity 81.1 % with a limit at 12.5).
Dépistage antenatal de la dépression postnatale It contains six items: four concern psychological aspects (blaming oneself, difficulty in falling asleep or staying asleep, feeling lonely, feeling that others do not understand you or are unsympathetic); two items refer to somatic issues (itching and lower back pain).
Global Assessment Functioning
The GAF is a numeric scale included in the DSM-IV generally used by mental health clinicians and physicians to rate the social, occupational, and psychological functioning of adults. The scale value ranges from 1 (hypothetically sickest person) to 100 (hypothetically healthiest person).
Parent–infant relationship global assessment scale
The PIR-GAS is a 90 point scale used to assess the quality of infant–parent relationship based on a continuum from well adapted to grossly impaired. This scale is to be completed only after a thorough clinical evaluation of the infant’s problems.
