TY - JOUR TI - Depression screening practices of prenatal genetic counselors DO - https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/t3-xxj7-2851 PY - 2020 AB - Prenatal depression is a common problem for pregnant women, affecting up to 15% of women with even higher rates in low-income countries, and can have negative effects on the health and wellbeing of both mother and child. Women referred to a prenatal genetic counselor may be experiencing stressors such as an increased risk of aneuploidy, and may need to make important, time-sensitive decisions regarding their pregnancy. It is well established that depression can negatively impact the decision-making process, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that all healthcare providers perform depression screening for patients during the prenatal period. Therefore, we examined the methods prenatal genetic counselors are using to assess for depression in their patients as well as their opinions on this topic. We found that while 60.0% of respondents believe addressing depression in the context of the prenatal genetic counseling session is important, only 30.4% routinely do so. This suggests the existence of barriers that may be hindering some genetic counselors from obtaining this information from patients. These barriers include the social stigmatization of openly discussing mental health, discomfort on the part of the patient, and a lack of time in the counseling session. Additionally, only 53.2% of respondents feel confident in their abilities to identify and address symptoms of depression in a patient, and only 36.2% are aware of the ACOG guidelines regarding depression screening. Awareness of the ACOG guidelines was found to be significantly correlated with confidence in one’s ability to address depression, and likelihood to discuss protective mental health factors with patients. These results indicate the need for more education and awareness regarding the utility and necessity of depression screening in the prenatal genetics setting. KW - Microbiology and Molecular Genetics LA - English ER -