{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,21]],"date-time":"2026-05-21T17:17:09Z","timestamp":1779383829184,"version":"3.53.1"},"reference-count":23,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,21]],"date-time":"2026-05-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1779321600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common perinatal mental health disorder with important consequences for mothers and children. Early detection depends largely on primary and community healthcare professionals. This study assessed knowledge, recognition patterns, and screening practices related to PPD and examined factors associated with screening implementation. Methods: An exploratory cross-sectional online survey using convenience sampling was conducted between December 2025 and March 2026 among 154 healthcare professionals (74 community nurses and 80 physicians). Structured questionnaires assessed PPD knowledge, while physicians additionally reported screening and treatment practices. Group differences, correlations, and predictors of screening implementation were analyzed statistically. Results: Community nurses achieved higher overall knowledge scores than physicians (66.1% vs. 58.4%; p = 0.0038). Physicians more frequently distinguished baby blues from PPD (60.0% vs. 27.0%; p &lt; 0.001). Awareness of validated screening tools among physicians was low, with only 10.0% recognizing the EPDS. Although physician knowledge correlated with screening frequency before correction for multiple testing (\u03c1 = 0.27; p = 0.015), the association was not statistically significant after BH\u2013FDR correction (q = 0.075). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, guideline awareness was not significantly associated with screening implementation (OR = 3.81; 95% CI 0.98\u201314.82; p = 0.053). Conclusions: Gaps remain in knowledge of PPD screening tools and treatment, particularly among physicians. The findings support the need for improved education, dissemination of clinical guidelines, and implementation support for standardized screening practices. However, given the exploratory convenience-sampling design and the lack of statistically significant adjusted associations, further longitudinal and implementation-focused studies are needed.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph23050682","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,21]],"date-time":"2026-05-21T16:46:18Z","timestamp":1779381978000},"page":"682","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Knowledge, Attitudes, and Management of Postpartum Depression Among Healthcare Professionals in Croatian Primary and Community Care: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"23","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0873-1257","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ema","family":"Dejhalla","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical Centre for Occupational Health Rijeka, Family Medicine Office, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"David","family":"Zahirovi\u0107","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia"},{"name":"Community Health Centre of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rafaela","family":"Jurman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Teaching Institute of Public Health Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mate","family":"Rukavina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Department of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4389-6463","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sanja","family":"Smojver-A\u017ei\u0107","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tina","family":"Zavidi\u0107","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia"},{"name":"Istrian Health Centers, 52000 Pazin, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"e32745","article-title":"A Comprehensive Review on Postpartum Depression","volume":"14","author":"Suryawanshi","year":"2022","journal-title":"Cureus"},{"key":"ref_2","first-page":"100820","article-title":"Development and validation of the Peripartum Depression Scale","volume":"17","author":"Brekalo","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Affect. Disord. Rep."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e43005","DOI":"10.2196\/43005","article-title":"Identification of Postpartum Depression in Electronic Health Records: Validation in a Large Integrated Health Care System","volume":"11","author":"Slezak","year":"2023","journal-title":"JMIR Med. Inform."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2665","DOI":"10.1111\/jocn.16121","article-title":"Prevalence and Risk Factors of Postpartum Depression in Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis","volume":"31","author":"Liu","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Clin. Nurs."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e095974","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2024-095974","article-title":"Effectiveness of postpartum care to improve women\u2019s health and quality of life in Southeast Asia: A scoping review protocol","volume":"15","author":"Sari","year":"2025","journal-title":"BMJ Open"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2354008","DOI":"10.1080\/16549716.2024.2354008","article-title":"Awareness of postpartum depression among midwives and pregnant women in Arkhangelsk, Arctic Russia","volume":"17","author":"Nechaeva","year":"2024","journal-title":"Glob. Health Action"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Wang, H., Xu, F., Li, R., Pan, T., Tang, S., and Sun, M. (2025). Factors associated with knowledge, beliefs, and practices related to perinatal depression screening among rural maternal and child health workers: A multi-center cross-sectional study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth, 25.","DOI":"10.1186\/s12884-025-07831-6"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Place, J.M.S., Renbarger, K., Van De Griend, K., Guinn, M., Wheatley, C., and Holmes, O. (2024). Barriers to help-seeking for postpartum depression mapped onto the socio-ecological model and recommendations to address barriers. Front. Glob. Women\u2019s Health, 5.","DOI":"10.3389\/fgwh.2024.1335437"},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"782","DOI":"10.25122\/jml-2024-0147","article-title":"Impact of an educational intervention on improving maternity nurses\u2019 knowledge and attitudes toward postpartum depression: A quasi-experimental study","volume":"17","author":"Khalil","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Med. Life"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"96","DOI":"10.4069\/whn.2024.03.30","article-title":"Maternal postpartum health and its impact on health and development of young children","volume":"30","author":"Walker","year":"2024","journal-title":"Women\u2019s Health Nurs."},{"key":"ref_11","unstructured":"Carlson, K., Mughal, S., Azhar, Y., and Siddiqui, W. (2025). Perinatal Depression. StatPearls [Internet], StatPearls Publishing."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2155042","DOI":"10.1080\/14767058.2022.2155042","article-title":"Improving maternal mental health: Assessing the extent of screening and training about peripartum depression","volume":"36","author":"Valdes","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Matern. Neonatal Med."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1004","DOI":"10.1001\/jamapsychiatry.2022.2400","article-title":"Family History of Psychiatric Disorders as a Risk Factor for Maternal Postpartum Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis","volume":"79","author":"Bricca","year":"2022","journal-title":"JAMA Psychiatry"},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"173734","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pbb.2024.173734","article-title":"Zuranolone, a neuroactive drug, used in the treatment of postpartum depression by modulation of GABAA receptors","volume":"238","author":"Sharma","year":"2024","journal-title":"Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1775","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(14)61276-9","article-title":"Non-psychotic mental disorders in the perinatal period","volume":"384","author":"Howard","year":"2014","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref_16","first-page":"e91881","article-title":"From Theory to Clinical Practice: Assessing the Knowledge of Medical Staff Working in Gynecology and Obstetrics Departments and Medical Students Regarding the Diagnosis and Treatment of Postpartum Depression","volume":"17","author":"Rduch","year":"2025","journal-title":"Cureus"},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"478","DOI":"10.4103\/jfmpc.jfmpc_1170_22","article-title":"Knowledge, attitude, and practices of healthcare providers about perinatal depression in Himachal Pradesh-A cross-sectional study","volume":"12","author":"Gupta","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Fam. Med. Prim. Care"},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"554","DOI":"10.18295\/squmj.4.2021.031","article-title":"The Experience of Healthcare Professionals Providing Mental Health Services to Mothers with Postpartum Depression: A qualitative study","volume":"21","author":"Jannati","year":"2021","journal-title":"Sultan Qaboos Univ. Med. J."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"24","DOI":"10.1177\/2150131915611827","article-title":"Primary Care Physicians\u2019 Attitudes Toward Postpartum Depression: Is It Part of Their Job?","volume":"7","author":"Glasser","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. Prim. Care Community Health"},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e42","DOI":"10.1017\/S1463423620000316","article-title":"Towards an understanding of GPs\u2019 viewpoint on diagnosing postnatal depression in general practice: A small-scale realist evaluation","volume":"21","author":"Sriranjan","year":"2020","journal-title":"Prim. Health Care Res. Dev."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Bina, R., Glasser, S., Honovich, M., Ferber, Y., and Alfayumi-Zeadna, S. (2022). The Role of Organizational Factors in Nurses\u2019 Perceived Preparedness to Screen, Intervene and Refer in Cases of Suspected Postpartum Depression. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 19.","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph192416717"},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"381","DOI":"10.1089\/jwh.2015.5438","article-title":"Can Postpartum Depression Be Managed in Pediatric Primary Care?","volume":"25","author":"Olin","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. Womens Health"},{"key":"ref_23","first-page":"237","article-title":"Exploring the Healthcare Services\u2019 Contribution to Reducing Postpartum Depression","volume":"9","author":"Almutairi","year":"2023","journal-title":"SAGE Open Nurs."}],"container-title":["International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1660-4601\/23\/5\/682\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,21]],"date-time":"2026-05-21T16:52:16Z","timestamp":1779382336000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1660-4601\/23\/5\/682"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,21]]},"references-count":23,"journal-issue":{"issue":"5","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5]]}},"alternative-id":["ijerph23050682"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/ijerph23050682","relation":{},"ISSN":["1660-4601"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1660-4601","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,21]]}}}