NCT02850523

Cognitive Behavioural Group Therapy for Perinatal Anxiety

Cognitive Behavioural Group Therapy for Perinatal Anxiety: A Randomized Controlled Trial

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 86 (actual)
• Sponsor: St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: 18 Years – 45 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a 6-week, group-based, cognitive behavioural therapy (CGBT) program for women with anxiety disorders (with or without comorbid depressive symptoms) during pregnancy or early postpartum. The CBGT program was evaluated compared to a 6-week waitlist condition.

Detailed description

Anxiety disorders affect up to 15% of women in the perinatal period (i.e., pregnancy, postpartum) and are a serious mental health concern. Anxiety disorders often coexist with depression and result in high distress and an impaired ability for new mothers to take care of themselves and their babies. In spite of the high prevalence of anxiety disorders during pregnancy and postpartum, research and clinical attention in this area is lacking and no empirically supported psychological treatments exist. Further, since many pregnant or postpartum women are unable or choose not to take medication for their mental health symptoms, establishing an effective non-pharmacological alternative is imperative. Cognitive-behavioural therapy is a well established psychological treatment for anxiety and mood disorders, with moderate to large effect sizes (Cohen's d = 0.5-1.3). The investigators developed a novel group-based cognitive-behavioural treatment program (CBGT) for perinatal women with anxiety disorders. In an initial, single-sample pilot study (Green et al., 2015), a significant reduction in symptoms of anxiety and depression was found from pre to post-treatment, along with reported high levels of treatment satisfaction. The purpose of the current study is to evaluate the effectiveness of this treatment using a larger sample and a randomized controlled trial (RCT).

Conditions

• Perinatal Anxiety

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Perinatal Anxiety	The treatment consists of cognitive and behavioural strategies for treating anxiety, tailored specifically to a perinatal/postpartum population.

Timeline

• Start date: 2016-09-01
• Primary completion: 2019-01-01
• Completion: 2019-01-01
• First posted: 2016-08-01
• Last updated: 2019-03-20

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Canada