NCT00942721

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Delivered Over the Internet for Women With Postpartum Depression

Web-Based Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Women With Postpartum Depression

• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 1
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 53 (actual)
• Sponsor: Oregon Research Institute · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study will develop and test a Web-based program to treat women with postpartum depression.

Detailed description

After a woman gives birth, she will often feel anxious, depressed, or upset. For most women, these feelings go away within a week of giving birth, but for some, postpartum depression (PPD) can develop. PPD involves long-term, more severe feelings of anxiety, depression, and despair that impair normal functioning. Untreated PPD threatens both the mental health of mothers and the development of their infants, but many cases go untreated. This may be because of the stigma of mental health treatment, limited availability of programs, cost of treatment, or difficulty finding the time to schedule trips out of the home. Treatment through a Web-based program addresses all these concerns by providing a private, cost-efficient program available anywhere with computer access. This study will develop and test a Web-based version of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to treat women with PPD to determine its feasibility and acceptability. Participation in this study will last 3 months. All participants will be offered a Web-based version of CBT for PPD. The CBT program will include guided behavioral strategies for dealing with depression, online videos of women who have used these strategies, Web forums in which participants can ask questions of peers and experts, and periodic phone coaching. The program will last 6 weeks. All participants will complete assessments at baseline, post-treatment, and 3-month follow-up. Safety monitoring questionnaires will also be completed at Weeks 2 and 4 of treatment. Assessments will include clinical interviews and questionnaires related to the following: health; depression; demographics; maternal skills, stress, and self-efficacy; Internet use, experience, and self-efficacy; behavioral self-efficacy; and program acceptability.

Conditions

• Postpartum Depression

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Web-based CBT for PPD	A cognitive behavioral intervention that will provide participants with the following: online interactive tools to clarify their attitudes and reasons for wanting to change, information about some of the symptoms and mechanisms associated with feeling depressed during the postpartum period, and guidance on using behavioral and cognitive strategies proven to help reduce depressive symptoms

Timeline

• Start date: 2009-10-01
• Primary completion: 2013-04-01
• Completion: 2013-04-01
• First posted: 2009-07-21
• Last updated: 2013-11-25

Locations

3 sites across 2 countries: United States, Australia