摘要：Objective. The aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence of postnatal depression in Nuuk, Greenland.Study design. Cross-sectional study.Methods. The primary health care system in Nuuk initiated a project aiming to screen new mothers fordepression using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). EPDS has a range on a scale from 0 to30. All mothers residing in Nuuk who had given birth in 2011 were included in the study group. The screeningwas performed by health care visitors approximately 3 months following birth. Mothers who scored 13 pointsor above were defined as having possible postpartum depression (PPD). These mothers were then referredto a physician. A score at or less than 8 was defined as normal, whereas an intermediate score from 9 to12 indicated a need for an extra visit.Results. During 2011, a total of 217 mothers gave birth in Nuuk. Of them, 80.2% (174) were screened for PPDusing EPDS. Fifteen mothers scored 13 points or above corresponding to a prevalence of possible PPD at8.6% (15/174). Seventy-nine percentage scored less than 9 points (137/174), whereas 15% (22/174) scored from9 to 12 points.Conclusion. PPD seems to be a common problem in Nuuk, Greenland. EPDS seems to be a valuable tool inidentifying women with PPD and vulnerable mothers with extra needs for support in a Greenlandic context.Continual routine screening is recommended.Keywords: postpartum depression; Inuit; Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale(Published: 5 August 2013)This paper is part of Supplement 1, 2013, ICCH15 Proceedings. More papers from this Supplement can be found here.Citation: Int J Circumpolar Health 2013, 72: 21114 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v72i0.21114
