Effectiveness of Psycho Education Treatment for Reduction of Postpartum Depression: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Backgroud: Postpartum depression is one of the emotional disorders that results from the failure of the psychological process of postpartum adaptation. Postpartum dep­ression en­dangers maternal health and affects social relationships, and negatively im­pacts the de­ve­lopment of the baby. If left untreated adequately, postpartum dep­ression may cause more serious psychiatric disorders, such as bipolar disorder, schi­zophrenia, and even a thought of killing own infants. Previous primary studies reported that therapeutic in­ter­ven­tions such as Psycho education can reduce postpartum dep­res­sive symptoms. This study aimed to review systematically the effectiveness of Psycho education treatment for reduc­tion of postpartum depression. Subjects and Method: A systematic review was carried out with PRISMA model. This sys­tematic review was conducted by searching published articles from 2013 to 2019 from EBSCO database. The inclusion criteria were mothers with postpartum dep­res­sion, aged 20 to 45 years, and Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT). Depression was measured by Edin­burgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and Beck Depression In­ven­tory (BDI)-II. Exclusion criteria were journal older than 2013, mothers with acute psychosis, and a life­time history of depression. The dependent variable was postpartum depression. The in­de­pendent variable was Psycho education treatment using telephone or internet media. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, screening of titles and abstracts resulted in 5 ar­ticles. Results: Psycho education treatment took various forms, including (1) Telephone-Based Cog­nitive Behavioral Therapy; (2) The MOM (Managing Our Mood) therapy; (3) Tele­phone-Based Support; and (4) Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Mo­thers under study were satisfied with the intervention, suggesting positive effect of the interven­tion. The treatment was accessible and effective to reduce mild to moderate postpartum de­pression. However, its application was limited as it was dependent upon access and sig­nal of internet connection. Conclusion: Psycho education treatment using telephone or internet media suggest its effectiveness to reduce mild to moderate postpartum depression. However, its app­lication is limited. Keywords: Psycho education treatment, postpartum depression