Postpartum Screening for Anxiety and Comorbid Conditions

Postpartum Screening for Anxiety and Comorbid Conditions: A Prospective British Columbia Cohort Study

The goal of this project is to facilitate the design of individualized postpartum anxiety (PPA) screening strategies in British Columbia (BC), Canada. A cohort of postpartum people (n=550) will be invited to complete the following seven questionnaires at 4-8 weeks after delivery:

1. State-Trait Anxiety Inventory
2. Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale
3. Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support
4. PROMIS (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System) Emotional Distress-Anger, Short Form 5-a
5. Short Form Brief Pain Inventory
6. WHOQOL-BREF for assessing quality of life
7. PROMIS Sleep Disturbance Short Form 8-b and PROMIS Sleep-Related Impairment Short Form 8-a

The investigators will evaluate the feasibility of screening for postpartum anxiety and comorbid conditions through a web-based platform in a diverse BC population. They will assess the usability of the platform and questionnaires through 12-15 follow-up interviews with study participants and responses to the System Usability Scale. Their analysis will also identify patient characteristics and comorbidities (e.g., anger, pain, sleep disturbance) associated with a positive screen for postpartum anxiety.

Inclusion Criteria:

• ≥ 19 years
• 4-8 weeks postpartum
• Proficiency to participate in English
• Delivered within the province of British Columbia, Canada

Exclusion Criteria:

None.