According to the World Health Organization (WHO), major depression, including postnatal depression (PND), will be the second highest worldwide cause of disability and death by 2020. A recent study published in the International Journal of Nursing Practice, suggests that cognitive behavior therapy may be a promising treatment for women, worldwide, who suffer with PND.
Participants in the current study (n = 97) included pregnant Chinese women with mild to moderate depressive symptoms, recruited at the antenatal clinic in Hong Kong via convenience sampling. The trial program was conducted using quasi-experimental design.
Participants who received the intervention (n = 47) attended six, 2-hour, weekly group therapy sessions. Sessions focused on the core components of the cognitive behavior model, identifying patterns of irrational thoughts, strategies for managing unpleasant and stressful situations, identifying dysfunctional beliefs, relaxation exercises and engaging in pleasurable activities, and using CBT to handle future, stressful events.
Post-intervention evaluation showed highly positive feedback from participants. In fact, all of the participants agreed that content was easy to comprehend and reported that they found the intervention to be useful. This brief-antenatal CBT intervention was found to be both feasible for Hong Kong women and acceptable. This study provides helpful information for the future development and replication of the preventive, antenatal group CBT intervention.
Leung SSK, Lee AM, Chiang VCL, Lam SK, Yung C, Wong DFK. International Journal of Nursing Practice 2013; 19 (Suppl. 1): 28–37 Culturally sensitive, preventive antenatal group cognitive–behavioural therapy for Chinese women with depression, 19:1, 28–37.