Be a Mom Coping with Depression: a Feasibility Study of a Blended Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention for Postpartum Depression

Abstract

A blended cognitive-behavioral intervention for postpartum depression (Be a Mom Coping with Depression) was developed, consisting of the combination of seven face-to-face sessions (delivered through videocall) with six online sessions in a web-based program. This study aimed to assess the intervention’s feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects on depressive symptoms. A single-arm pre- and post-test study was conducted, and adult Portuguese women in the postpartum period (up to 12 months) with a clinical diagnosis of a major depressive episode were eligible to participate (n = 9). Participants completed self-report measures and were interviewed after completing the intervention. Eight participants completed the blended intervention. The recruitment rate was low, but the adherence to treatment was high. Participants reported several advantages of this intervention and high levels of satisfaction. The blended intervention was found to be feasible and acceptable, and a reduction on depressive symptoms was observed in our sample. These results support the conduction of a randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of this blended intervention and provided important information to proceed with the necessary modifications.