Intervention effects
depression, Anxiety, depressive, anxiety
DISORDERS
The prevalence of postpartum depression was previously reported as 13.0%–19.2% at 12 weeks postpartum [In terms of the self-efficacy of CBT responses, the change in scores between pre- and post-program was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group. This suggested that participants were trying to apply the program content to their daily lives after the program. The amount of change from the post-program to 1 month postpartum remained almost the same in the intervention group, and the amount of change from pre-program to 1 month postpartum was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group. Although self-efficacy could be further increased by continuing to use the program content, follow-up after childbirth appeared to be necessary because self-efficacy was only maintained. In this study, there were no significant differences in the amount of change in anxiety and depressive symptoms, but the results suggested that the CBT intervention influenced anxiety reduction if it was made a habit.In primiparas, the GAD-7 scores decreased significantly after the intervention, and small to moderate effect sizes were observed (T2–T1: d = .53 and T3–T1: d = .359). Anxiety disorders were observed among 15.8% of participants during pregnancy and in 17.1% postpartum, of which GAD (which tends to be higher postpartum) accounted for 2.6% during pregnancy and 3.2% postpartum [In multiparas, the intervention group continued to show a downward trend in in GAD-7 scores pre- and post-program and at 1 month postpartum, whereas the control group showed an increase in scores 1 month postpartum, similar to primipara participants. There was a significant difference in the change in K6 scores from post-program to 1 month postpartum, with the control group’s scores increasing and the intervention group’s scores decreasing more than post-program. It is thought that the CBT intervention was meaningful for multipara women during pregnancy, as participants received the intervention while taking care of their older children, and the intervention content overlapped with their daily lives, allowing them to understand and immediately practice the skills learned. These results indicated that the intervention tended to differ for primipara and multipara women.CBT has no side effects and can be used by all pregnant and nursing mothers, meaning the need for CBT is high. Primiparas showed a greater decrease in anxiety scores than multiparas. A meta-analysis of the prevalence of perinatal depression in Japanese women showed the prevalence of postpartum depression 1 month after delivery was 14.3%, with the prevalence of postpartum depression in primiparas reported to be significantly higher than in multiparas [This study was a pilot RCT, and its primary significance is to provide suggestions for future RCTs. Due to the small sample size did not allow us to test the effectiveness of the intervention. However, it was clear that an effect size was secured and that primiparous was particularly effective, suggesting that the effect will be tested in future RCTs.