Abstract
Depression is the most common psychological disorder during the perinatal period, and its negative effects extend to mothers, babies, their family and society. Scientific evidence points to the urgency of designing preventive interventions and concludes that the gestational period is the most appropriate time to implement these interventions. However, many pregnant women do not seek professional help due to a lack of knowledge about the importance of mental health, its impact, and the available intervention options, as well as a lack of time and financial resources. E-health interventions can be an efficient, cost-effective, and accessible resource for preventing postpartum depression that can circumvent the barriers that pregnant women face. This randomized clinical trial will examine the efficacy of Healthy Moms and Babies, an app aimed at preventing postpartum depressive symptomatology. The second objective of this study is to analyze the effectiveness of the tool in preventing anxious symptomatology. The primary outcome measure is the difference in the mean score between the intervention and control groups on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) at the end of the intervention and at 3 and 6 months postpartum. The secondary outcome will be determined by using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener (GAD-7) at the same time points. The research findings can be used to determine pregnant women’s use of the e-health application for the prevention of postpartum depression, whether the Healthy Moms and Babies intervention app is an effective and useful resource, and what modifications will need to be made to the tool in future updates.
Highlights
Depression is the most common psychological disorder during the perinatal period [1]and is a major public health problem that requires special attention [2,3]
The findings suggest that untreated perinatal depression may have important economic implications for the health care system
The results suggested that the program promotes women’s self-compassion and improves their emotional regulation abilities, skills that exert a protective effect in the presence of risk factors for postpartum depression
Summary
Depression is the most common psychological disorder during the perinatal period [1]. Is a major public health problem that requires special attention [2,3]. Despite being a globally recognized and studied mental health condition, depression remains an underscreened and undertreated condition; much remains to be done for individuals with depression [4]. The prevalence of depression ranges from 4% to 63.9% depending on the country [5]. In Spain, the prevalence of moderate–severe depressive symptoms ranges between 14.8% [7] and 15.2% [8], and between 10.5% and 12.7%, during pregnancy and postpartum, respectively, depending on the time of assessment [9,10]
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