Objectives: To assess the feasibility and effectiveness of an online 1-day cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)-based workshop in the prevention of postpartum depression (PPD)
Methods: In Study 1, data was analyzed from a cohort of 38 birthing parents in the form of a pre-test-post-test pilot study. The ability to develop a 1-day prevention intervention, with feasible study design, recruitment, and retainment strategies that was acceptable to participants was assessed and effect sizes were preliminarily measured in preparation to develop a future full-scale randomized control trial (RCT). In Study 2, a parallel-group RCT was utilized to examine a new group of 124 participants split into either the experimental or control group. Participants received the workshop plus treatment as usual (TAU; experimental group) or TAU alone (control), Major depressive disorder (MDD) diagnosis, levels of PPD symptoms, anxiety, social support, mother-infant relationship quality, and infant temperament was assessed at one, two, and three months postpartum.
Results: In Study 1, a 1-day prevention intervention for PPD that was deemed acceptable to study participants was successfully developed. The online 1-day CBT-based workshops for preventing PPD were feasible in terms of study design based on participant recruitment speed and retention rate. In Study 2, trial recruitment was stopped after 25% of the expected sample size was recruited as fewer than 10% of participants in either group developed MDD at three months postpartum. Data were collected up to three months postpartum in those already enrolled. Among all enrolled participants (n=124), a trend toward larger reductions in EPDS scores was seen in the experimental group at two months postpartum (p=0.06). Participants with baseline Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale Score ≥7 in the experimental group showed larger, statistically significant reductions in PPD and anxiety at two months postpartum.
Conclusion: The studies in this thesis suggest that the 1-day online CBT-based workshop could have potential as an intervention for preventing PPD in birthing parents considered higher-risk.
Keywords: Postpartum depression, pregnancy, perinatal care, prevention and control, cognitive behavioural therapy, mental disorders / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / Postpartum depression is an ideal disorder for prevention due to its high prevalence, clear window for intervention (pregnancy), and easily identifiable risk factors. The objective of this thesis was to determine whether an online 1-day CBT-based workshop, was feasible for participants and whether it was effective in preventing PPD. In the first study the ability to design a 1-day intervention, as well as the feasibility of its study design, recruitment and retention strategies on participants were assessed. In the second study its effectiveness at preventing PPD was examined. We found that our 1-day workshop was feasible for participants and showed promise in preventing PPD in higher-risk samples. This research can provide guidance for future preventive interventions to improve outcomes for birthing parents at risk of developing PPD.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/30378 |
| Date | 21 November 2024 |
| Creators | Boland, Zoe |
| Contributors | Van Lieshout, Ryan, Neuroscience |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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