| Learning Objective #1: Understand the importance of support from other women on postpartum depression | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Develop and evaluate a peer support intervention |
Objective: (1) to evaluate the effect of peer (mother-to-mother) support on postpartum depression (PPD) among high-risk mothers, and (2) to assess the feasibility of conducting a larger trial to evaluate the effect of peer support in the prevention of PPD. Design: Pilot randomized controlled trial. Sample: 42 mothers identified with probable postpartum depression through screening at 8 weeks postpartum. Variables: peer (mother-to-mother) support and depressive symptomatology. Methods: Participants were randomly allocated to either a control group (usual postpartum care) or an experimental group (usual postpartum care plus telephone-based support from another mother who previously experienced postpartum depression and participated in a 4-hour training session). Results: At the 4-week assessment, 40.9% (n = 9) of mothers in the control group scored > 12 on the EPDS in comparison to only 10% (n = 2) in the experimental group. Similar findings were found at the 8-week assessment where 52.4% (n = 11) of mothers in the control group scored >12 on the EPDS in comparison to 15% (n = 3) of mothers in the experimental group. Conclusion: The telephone-based peer support intervention may be effective in decreasing depressive symptomatology among new mothers. The high maternal satisfaction with and acceptance of the intervention suggests a larger trial would be feasible. Implications: The results from this pilot work: (1) develop the body of knowledge concerning the effect of a psychosocial (peer support) intervention on PPD, (2) advance our understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of using peer volunteers as a complementary form of health care, and (3) guide the development of a proposal for a larger RCT.
Back to Mother/Infant Care
Back to 37th Biennial Convention - Scientific Session
Sigma Theta Tau International