Aim:
Be a Mom is a self-guided, web-based intervention to prevent persistent postpartum depression symptoms [PPD], targeting both at-risk postpartum women and/or women presenting early-onset postpartum depressive symptoms (selective/indicated preventive intervention). Be a Mom is grounded on the principles of Cognitive-Behavior Therapy and incorporates the recent contributions of acceptance and compassion-based approaches (third-wave approaches) applied to the perinatal context. This study aimed to explore the processes underlying therapeutic change in the Be a Mom intervention, by: (1) exploring whether participation in the Be a Mom promotes the enhancement of self-regulatory skills (emotion regulation abilities, psychological flexibility and self-compassion) in comparison with women who did not participate in the program; and (2) exploring whether changes in self-regulatory skills are associated with changes in depressive symptoms, among women who participated in the Be a Mom program.
Methods:
A pilot randomized, two-arm controlled trial was conducted. Eligible women (presenting PPD risk-factors and/or early-onset PPD symptoms) were enrolled in the study and were randomly assigned to the intervention group (Be a Mom,
n
= 98) or to the waiting-list control group (
n
= 96). Participants in both groups completed baseline (T1) and post-intervention assessments (T2), including measures of depressive symptoms, emotion regulation abilities, psychological flexibility and self-compassion.
Results:
From baseline to post-intervention assessment, women in the intervention group showed a significantly greater decrease in the levels of emotion regulation difficulties (
p
< 0.001) and a significant greater increase in the levels of self-compassion (
p
< 0.001) compared to the control group. No significant differences were found concerning psychological flexibility. Moreover, a greater decrease in difficulties in emotion regulation and greater increase in self-compassion levels were significantly associated with a greater decrease in depressive symptoms, among women in the intervention group.
Discussion:
Be a Mom promotes the enhancement of women’s emotion regulation abilities and self-compassion, and this seems to exert a protective effect in the presence of PPD risk factors (or early-onset symptoms) because it led to a reduction of depressive symptoms. By providing some insights into the processes that underlie treatment response to Be a Mom, this study highlights the important role of the targeted third-wave processes applied to the perinatal context.
Purpose: The aim of this study was to test the psychometric properties of the WHOQOL-HIV-Bref in a sample of HIV-infected patients aged 50 years and older.
This study explored the mediating role of common dyadic coping (common DC) on the longitudinal associations between attachment‐related anxiety and avoidance and parental adjustment to the first year postpartum. A total of 92 Portuguese couples completed self‐report questionnaires of romantic attachment, common DC, parenting stress, and parental confidence. Results showed that more avoidant parents (at mid‐pregnancy) engaged less in common DC (at 6 weeks postpartum), which consequently increased their partner's parenting stress (only in mothers) and decreased their partner's parental confidence (in both parents) at 6–9 months postpartum. Anxious attachment did not predict parents' adjustment directly or indirectly. Interventions aimed at preventing adjustment difficulties to early parenthood in more avoidant parents should focus on enhancing their common DC strategies soon after childbirth.
These findings highlight the need to assess couples' dyadic adjustment and DC strategies, which is particularly important when women screened positive for high levels of depressive symptoms during pregnancy.
Partner-related factors associated with the occurrence of Postpartum Depression (PPD) may justify the partner's 2! inclusion in preventive and treatment approaches. The aim of this qualitative systematic review was to 3! synthesize the literature on partner-inclusive interventions designed to prevent or treat postpartum depression 4! (PPD) in women. In accordance with the PRISMA guidelines, the systematic search of studies published 5! between 1967 and May 2015 in PsycINFO and PubMed identified 26 studies that met the inclusion criteria, 6! which reported on 24 interventions. The following partner parameters were analyzed: participation type, session 7! content, mental health assessment, attendance assessment, and the effects of partner's participation on the 8! women's response to the interventions. Total participation by the partner was mostly reported in the prevention 9! studies, whereas partial participation was reported in the treatment studies. The session content was mostly 10! based on psychoeducation about PPD and parenthood, coping strategies to facilitate the transition to parenthood 11! such as the partner's emotional and instrumental support, and problem-solving and communication skills. Some 12! benefits perceived by the couples underscore the relevance of the partner's inclusion in PPD interventions. 13! However, the scarce information about the partner's attendance and the associated effects on the women's 14! intervention outcomes, along with methodological limitations of the studies, made it difficult to determine if the 15! partner's participation was associated with the intervention's efficacy. Conclusions about the clinical value of 16! including partners in PPD interventions are still limited. More research is warranted to better inform health 17! policy strategies.
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