Antepartum Depression Scale Construction Validation and Standardization. A Comprehensive, Multidimensional Tool for Assessing the Psychological States of Pregnant Women, Specifically Targeting Depression, Melancholy, Anxiety, and Self-Dysthymia

Background/Objectives: The Antepartum Depression Scale (ADS) is an innovative tool designed to comprehensively assess the psychological states of pregnant women, specifically targeting depression, melancholy, anxiety, and self-dysthymia. Unlike existing scales, the ADS integrates a multidimensional approach tailored to the unique psychological profile of preg-nancy. Additionally, its adaptability for telemedicine ensures accessibility for psychological assessments via digital platforms, addressing the growing need for remote mental health care. Despite the critical importance of maternal mental health, there remains a gap in standardized, pregnancy-specific depression assessments that are both clinically robust and telemedi-cine-compatible. The ADS was rigorously developed and validated to ensure accuracy and re-liability, making it a critical tool for early detection and management of antepartum depression, even in resource-limited settings. Methods: A total of 850 pregnant women participated in the ADS validation study, with 650 completing a test-retest reliability analysis over a 14-day in-terval. The diverse Romanian sample ensured demographic variability. Additionally, 200 par-ticipants completed the ADS alongside Beck’s Depression Inventory, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, and Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale to assess construct validity. Psychometric properties were evaluated using internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and factor analysis. Results: The ADS demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s Alpha = 0.897), strong validity (The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin = 0.876), and robust correlations with established scales. Notably, mean depression scores increased significantly between tests, underscoring the scale’s sensi-tivity to psychological changes during pregnancy. Conclusions: The ADS is a validated, mul-tidimensional tool that fills a critical gap in maternal mental health assessment by offering a pregnancy-specific, psychometrically sound instrument. Its applicability in both clinical and telemedicine settings support’s early intervention, ultimately enhancing maternal mental health care and improving outcomes for pregnant women.