Other Titles
Rising Star Poster/Presentation - Rapid Presentation Round
Abstract
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a mental health condition where a parent experiences intense and ongoing depressive symptoms such as sadness, anxiety, lack of energy, suicidal thoughts and actions, and more. One in seven people who give birth will experience PPD. Furthermore, suicide is a leading cause of death in the perinatal period, accounting for 20% of postpartum deaths. Though PPD is common, there are many barriers to screening, managing, and treating this condition.
This evidence-based quality improvement (QI) project aimed to assess nursing students’ and nurses’ levels of knowledge and readiness to screen, intervene, and manage patients with PPD in the hopes of increasing knowledge about its identification and increasing comfort and confidence levels in working with this population. The project was conducted at Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing in East Harlem and throughout the Mount Sinai Health System in Manhattan. Participants included nursing students and practicing nurses on Labor and Delivery, Postpartum, Neonatal Intensive Care, or Mother and Baby units. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire and answered 31-item pre-test and 33-item post-test surveys. For the intervention in between surveys, they watched a video on a woman’s experience with PPD and participated in an educational slideshow on PPD identification, risk factors, screenings, management, and resources.
The sample included 38 participants, including 29(76.3%) students and 9(23.7%) registered nurses. Nearly all (94.7%) participants have been taught about PPD. Out of the registered nurses, 5(55.6%) have been trained to use PPD screening tools and 3(33.3%) have been trained to counsel patients with PPD. The main barriers to managing PPD included not knowing how to screen for the condition and a lack of training in administering screenings and counseling patients who are diagnosed.
There was a statistically significant difference between overall pre-test and post-test scores (p<0.001, t=2.028) and both students and unit nurses improved their knowledge (p<0.001, t=2.028) and confidence levels (p<0.001, t=2.028) after the intervention in regards to identifying and managing PPD. There was no statistically significant difference between pre-test and post-test scores in terms of comfort levels in discussing PPD with patients (p=0.744, t=2.028), and about one-third of participants (32%) recognized patients not willing to discuss their depressive symptoms with nurses as a main barrier in managing PPD.
This project showed that in depth, comprehensive teachings and training on PPD identification and management can help healthcare providers be well-equipped to work with this population and give them the help they need. Including detailed information on PPD in nursing school curricula and on-the-job training can enhance student and unit nurse knowledge base. Such education can be centered around PPD signs and symptoms and risk factors, screening tool administration, and free mental health resources in the area. Nurse counseling simulation labs may lead to increased comfort and confidence levels in providing proper therapeutic communication techniques to patients with PPD.
Notes
References:
American Psychological Association. (2022, November 2). Postpartum depression: Causes, symptoms, risk factors, and treatment options. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/topics/women-girls/postpartum-depression
Arefadib, N., Cooklin, A., Shafiei, T. (2022, August 4). Barriers and enablers to postpartum depression and anxiety screening: A qualitative study of Victorian maternal and child health nurses' practices. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 30(6), 5434-5444. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13966
Artino, A. (2012, April 11). Academic self-efficacy: from educational theory to instructional practice. Perspect Med Educ, 2(76-85). doi: 10.1007/s40037-012-0012-5. Epub 2012 Apr 11. PMID: 23316462; PMCID: PMC3540350.
Bina, R., Glasser, S., Honovich, M., Levinson, D., Ferber, Y. (2019). Nurses perceived preparedness to screen, intervene, and refer women with suspected postpartum depression. Midwifery, 76, 132-141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2019.05.009
Carberg, J. (2023, July 23). Screening for Postpartum Depression. Postpartum Depression. https://www.postpartumdepression.org/resources/screening/
Clevesy, M., Gatlin, T., Cheese, C., Strebel, K. (2019). A Project to Improve Postpartum Depression Screening Practices Among Providers in a Community Women’s Health Care Clinic. Nursing for Women’s Health. Retrieved from https://www.nwhjournal.org/article/S1751-4851(18)30238-1/pdf
Kang, P., Mohazmi, M., Ng, Y., Liew, S. (2019). Nurses’ knowledge, beliefs and practices regarding the screening and treatment of postpartum depression in maternal and child health clinics: A cross-sectional survey. Malays Fam Physician, 14(1): 18–25.
Mughal, S., Azhar, Y., Siddiqui, W. (2022). Postpartum Depression. StatPearls Publishing LLC. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519070/
Patabendige, M., Athulathmudali, S., Chandrasinghe, S. (2020). Mental Health Problems during Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period: A Multicenter Knowledge Assessment Survey among Healthcare Providers. Journal of Pregnancy, 2020, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/4926702
Ukatu, N., Clare, C., Brulja, M. (2018). Postpartum Depression Screening Tools: A Review. Psychosomatics, 59(3), 211-219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psym.2017.11.005
Sigma Membership
Alpha Beta Mu
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Quality Improvement
Research Approach
Translational Research/Evidence-based Practice
Keywords:
Women's Health, Health Screening, Postpartum Depression, Nursing Knowledge
Recommended Citation
Quinn, Caroline Everly, "Screen and Intervene: Assessing Knowledge, Preparedness, and Confidence in Managing Postpartum Depression" (2026). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 32.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2024/presentations_2024/32
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Washington, DC, USA
Conference Year
2024
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-02-16
Screen and Intervene: Assessing Knowledge, Preparedness, and Confidence in Managing Postpartum Depression
Washington, DC, USA
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a mental health condition where a parent experiences intense and ongoing depressive symptoms such as sadness, anxiety, lack of energy, suicidal thoughts and actions, and more. One in seven people who give birth will experience PPD. Furthermore, suicide is a leading cause of death in the perinatal period, accounting for 20% of postpartum deaths. Though PPD is common, there are many barriers to screening, managing, and treating this condition.
This evidence-based quality improvement (QI) project aimed to assess nursing students’ and nurses’ levels of knowledge and readiness to screen, intervene, and manage patients with PPD in the hopes of increasing knowledge about its identification and increasing comfort and confidence levels in working with this population. The project was conducted at Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing in East Harlem and throughout the Mount Sinai Health System in Manhattan. Participants included nursing students and practicing nurses on Labor and Delivery, Postpartum, Neonatal Intensive Care, or Mother and Baby units. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire and answered 31-item pre-test and 33-item post-test surveys. For the intervention in between surveys, they watched a video on a woman’s experience with PPD and participated in an educational slideshow on PPD identification, risk factors, screenings, management, and resources.
The sample included 38 participants, including 29(76.3%) students and 9(23.7%) registered nurses. Nearly all (94.7%) participants have been taught about PPD. Out of the registered nurses, 5(55.6%) have been trained to use PPD screening tools and 3(33.3%) have been trained to counsel patients with PPD. The main barriers to managing PPD included not knowing how to screen for the condition and a lack of training in administering screenings and counseling patients who are diagnosed.
There was a statistically significant difference between overall pre-test and post-test scores (p<0.001, t=2.028) and both students and unit nurses improved their knowledge (p<0.001, t=2.028) and confidence levels (p<0.001, t=2.028) after the intervention in regards to identifying and managing PPD. There was no statistically significant difference between pre-test and post-test scores in terms of comfort levels in discussing PPD with patients (p=0.744, t=2.028), and about one-third of participants (32%) recognized patients not willing to discuss their depressive symptoms with nurses as a main barrier in managing PPD.
This project showed that in depth, comprehensive teachings and training on PPD identification and management can help healthcare providers be well-equipped to work with this population and give them the help they need. Including detailed information on PPD in nursing school curricula and on-the-job training can enhance student and unit nurse knowledge base. Such education can be centered around PPD signs and symptoms and risk factors, screening tool administration, and free mental health resources in the area. Nurse counseling simulation labs may lead to increased comfort and confidence levels in providing proper therapeutic communication techniques to patients with PPD.
Description
This evidence-based quality improvement (QI) project explores and assesses nursing students’ and unit nurses’ levels of knowledge and readiness to screen, intervene, and manage patients with postpartum depression. The hope is to increase knowledge regarding screenings and interventions and increase comfort and confidence levels in working with this population.