Acceptability and efficacy of a smartphone intervention informed by interpersonal psychotherapy for perinatal mental health: A randomized controlled trial.
Yuko Toshishige, Takuya Okami, Natsumi Chatani et al.
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In 30 seconds
This randomized controlled trial evaluated the acceptability and efficacy of an interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT)-informed smartphone intervention for perinatal mental health among 350 pregnant women. The intervention was found to be highly acceptable, with 90.2% of participants scoring ≥17 on the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8. While no significant differences in depressive symptoms were noted during pregnancy, the intervention group showed significantly lower depressive symptoms at 1 month postpartum (SMD = 0.28).
Key findings
- 90.2% of participants in the intervention group scored ≥17 on the CSQ-8J, indicating high acceptability.
- No significant differences in depressive symptoms were observed during pregnancy (SMD = 0.11).
- At 1 month postpartum, the intervention group had significantly lower depressive symptom scores (SMD = 0.28).
Why it matters
Perinatal depression poses significant risks to both maternal and neonatal health. This study suggests that smartphone interventions can provide accessible mental health support, potentially improving outcomes for women during and after pregnancy.