Prevalence of anxiety and depression risk during the prepartum period in the different groups of women and responses from the Italian National Health Service.

Background: Specific screening for anxiety and depression in pregnant women is important to identify those at risk and to provide timely intervention. The aims of the study were: 1) to compare the risk of anxiety and depression in four groups of pregnant women belonging to four types of healthcare centers distinguished by the level of risk: at low-risk; at high-risk for an obstetric reason; at high-risk for fetal anomalies; at high-risk for psychiatric conditions and 2) to identify the response that the National Health Service offers to women positively screened for anxiety and depression.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 2801 pregnant women, cared for by National Health Service, divided into four groups: 1) low-risk pregnancy (N.