• Raman Sanghera, Sabrina T Wong, and Helen Brown.
• Fraser Health Authority, Public Health Nurse, Newton Public Health Unit, #200 7337 137th Street, Surrey, BC, V3W 1A4, Canada. raman.sanghera2@fraserhealth.ca.
• Bmc Pregnancy Childb. 2015 Jan 1;15:151.

BackgroundDepression is the leading cause of disability for childbearing women. We examined three specific research questions among Punjabi-speaking women residing in the Fraser Health Authority: 1) What are the prevalence rates of prenatal depressive symptoms? 2) Do Punjabi-speaking women have a higher likelihood of reporting depressive symptoms compared to English-speaking women after controlling for age, level of education and financial worries, and 3) Given the same level of exposure to level of education and financial worries, do Punjabi-speaking women have the same likelihood of reporting depressive symptoms?MethodsData originated from the Fraser Health Authority prenatal registration database consisting of pregnant women (n = 9684) who completed a prenatal registration form between June 2009 and August 2010; 9.1 % indicated speaking Punjabi. The Whooley Depression Screen measured depressive symptoms. Chi-square tests and logistic multiple regression were used to examine the rates of reporting depressive symptoms among Punjabi-speaking women compared to English-speaking women.ResultsPunjabi-speaking women are at a higher risk for perinatal depressive symptoms. Women needing an interpreter were more likely to report prenatal depressive symptoms compared to English-speaking women. All registrants who reported financial worries had four and a half times the odds of reporting depressive symptoms. The impact of financial worries was significantly greater in the English-speaking women compared to the Punjabi-speaking women needing an interpreter.ConclusionUsing an established screening device, Punjabi-speaking women were found to be at higher risk for prenatal depressive symptoms.

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