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Depression (Mood disorder)

Psychological Interventions for Perinatal Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Research findings on psychological interventions for perinatal depression have been published in a new report. The study aimed to assess the efficacy of psychological interventions for perinatal depression and examine the influence of related variables. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of different psychological interventions, including individualized and group-based approaches, as well as interventions delivered in non-clinical and clinical settings.

Key Takeaways:

  • Psychological interventions showed a moderate pooled effect size (SMD: -0.65; 95% CI: -0.87 to -0.43) in reducing perinatal depression, with moderate certainty of evidence.
  • Individualized interventions tended to be more effective than group-based approaches, although this difference may be influenced by other factors such as intervention duration or setting.
  • Interventions delivered in non-clinical settings (e.g., participants' homes or community centers) may be more effective than those delivered in clinical settings.
  • Non-specialist therapists who received professional training appeared to achieve treatment outcomes for perinatal depression that were broadly similar to those reported for specialist therapists.
  • IPT (Interpersonal Therapy) showed a tendency toward a larger effect size compared to CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), while PST (Psychological Support Therapy) did not demonstrate significant efficacy.
  • IPT appeared to be more effective than the other interventions, although direct head-to-head comparisons were not conducted.
  • Personalized interventions in non-clinical settings may be more beneficial.

Statistics:

  • 5,827 articles were screened, and 33 were included in a random-effects meta-analysis.
  • The pooled effect size for psychological interventions was -0.65 (95% CI: -0.87 to -0.43).
  • The meta-analysis had high heterogeneity.
  • The limited number of studies on certain interventions (MBI, BA, and PST) may affect the accuracy of the meta-analysis results.
  • IPT showed a tendency toward a larger effect size compared to CBT.

Sources:

  • Different psychological interventions for perinatal depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. BMC Psychiatry, 2025;25(1):981.
  • BioMed Central. www.biomedcentral.com/
  • BMC Psychiatry. www.biomedcentral.com/bmcpsychiatry/
  • Keling Yue. Zigong first people's hospital. People's Republic of China.
  • Guangshun Hua. Yu Zhu. Fuchao Yang. Mijuan Zhou.

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