The Effect of a Father Inclusive Psychoeducation Program on Postnatal Depression

The Effect of a Father Inclusive Psychoeducation Program on Postnatal Depression: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Study hypothesis: Childbearing couples who receive the father inclusive psychoeducation program will have: (a) a lower level of depressive symptoms, (b) a higher level of marital relationship, and (c) a higher level of quality of life at 6 weeks, 6 months and one year postpartum than those who receive the usual perinatal care.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Pregnancy
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Psychoeducation program

Detailed Description

Background: Having a first child is a key marker of the transition into parenthood that requires substantial adjustment of couples' life. A recent meta-analysis published in the Journal of American Medical Association reports that both women (23.8%) and men (10.4%) suffer from perinatal depression [1]. The father's involvement during pregnancy can positively influence health outcomes not only for the man, but his partner, and their children [1,2]. However, the effectiveness of father's involvement in prenatal care in preventing paternal and maternal depression, is still unknown.

Aims: This study seeks to: (1) evaluate the effect of a father inclusive psychoeducation program for first-time Chinese mothers and fathers on depressive symptoms (primary outcome), marital relationships and quality of life at 6 weeks, 6 months and one year postpartum; and (2) explore fathers' involvement, their perceived benefits of participating in the program and factors influencing the effectiveness of the program.

Methods: This study employs a longitudinal, randomized, pre and post-test design. A convenience sample of 576 couples will be recruited at antenatal clinics and randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) the experimental group with both couples receives the intervention on top of usual perinatal care; (2) the comparison group with only the women receives the intervention on top of usual perinatal care; and (3) the control group receives usual perinatal care only. The intervention consists of a single 3-hour session during pregnancy and two telephone follow-up at postpartum week one and week two. Primary outcome on postnatal depression will be assessed by Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Secondary outcomes on marital relationship and quality of life will be assessed by Dyadic Adjustment Scale and Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 12-item Health Survey, respectively, at baseline, 6 weeks, 6 months and one year postpartum. Process evaluation will be conducted at 6 weeks postpartum using individual telephone interview on 20 couples randomly selected from the experimental group.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 388
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Hong Kong
  • Hong Kong, Hong Kong
    • The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 14 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• aged 18 or above;
• first-time parents;
• able to speak and read the Chinese language; and
• Hong Kong residents.

Exclusion Criteria:

• couples with past or family psychiatric history

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Psychodeucation program; Both couples receive the father inclusive psychoeducation program which consists of a single 3-hour session during pregnancy and two telephone follow up at postpartum.	Behavioral: Psychoeducation program
Active Comparator: Mother only; Only the women receives the psychoeducation program.	Behavioral: Psychoeducation program
No Intervention: Control group; Receives usual perinatal care services only

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale	Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale	6 weeks postpartum

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale	6 months postpartum
Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale	12 months postpartum
Dyadic Adjustment Scale	6 weeks postpartum
Dyadic Adjustment Scale	6 months postpartum
Dyadic Adjustment Scale	12 months postpartum
Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 12-item Health Survey	6 weeks postpartum
Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 12-item Health Survey	6 months postpartum
Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 12-item Health Survey	12 months postpartum

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: The University of Hong Kong
• Collaborators: Education Bureau, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Fei Wan Ngai, PhD, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 1, 2014
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 1, 2018
• Study Completion (Actual): January 1, 2018

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 4, 2013
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 9, 2013
• First Posted (Estimated): December 13, 2013

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): October 29, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 1, 2025
• Last Verified: June 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Depressive symptoms, marital relationship, quality of life
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Depression
• Other Study ID Numbers: 748113