Screening Performance of the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale—Spanish Version

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to further assess measures of validity for the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS)- Spanish Version on sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values. The convenience sample consisted of 150 Hispanic mothers from New England and Texas. Each woman first completed the PDSS-Spanish Version followed by a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV ) diagnostic interview. For analysis purposes, the Hispanic women were divided into three subgroups: Puerto Rican/Caribbean (n = 68), Mexican (n = 64), and Central/South American (n = 18). For the three subgroups, the PDSS total score alpha reliabilities were .96, .95, and .95, respectively. Based on the reciever operating characterisitc (ROC) curve analysis, a cutoff score of 60 is recommended as a positive screen for combined major and minor depression. This cutoff point obtained a sensitivity of 84% and specificity of 84%. When compared to the original English version of the PDSS, the psychometrics for the Spanish version were slightly lower but well within the acceptable range.