Couple-based Interpersonal Psychotherapy on Postnatal Depression and Family Sense of Coherence

May 9, 2023 updated by: Ngai Fei Wan, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

A Couple-based Interpersonal Psychotherapy on Postnatal Depression and Family Sense of Coherence: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Postnatal depression is a common public health problem which has long-term sequelae on the family and the infant's psychosocial development. Interpersonal psychotherapy has demonstrated its value as one of the most effective interventions for postnatal depression. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of a couple-based interpersonal psychotherapy for first-time Chinese mothers and fathers on depressive symptoms, family sense of coherence, and marital relationships immediately after intervention and at 6 weeks and 6 months postpartum.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Background: Postnatal depression is a common public health problem which has long-term sequelae on the family and the infant's psychosocial development. Interpersonal psychotherapy has demonstrated its value as one of the most effective interventions for postnatal depression. Enhancement of family sense of coherence may be helpful for women who are at risk for postnatal depression. However, few studies in the context of Chinese parenthood have evaluated the effect of interpersonal psychotherapy on postnatal depression and the underlying mechanisms.

Aim: To examine the effect of a couple-based interpersonal psychotherapy for first-time Chinese mothers and fathers on depressive symptoms (primary outcome), family sense of coherence (secondary outcome), and marital relationships (secondary outcome) immediately after intervention and at 6 weeks and 6 months postpartum.

Method: A randomized controlled trial will be used to evaluate the effect of a couple-based interpersonal psychotherapy on depressive symptoms (primary outcome), family sense of coherence (secondary outcome), and marital relationships (secondary outcome) immediately after intervention and at 6 weeks and 6 months postpartum. A convenience sample of 125 couples will be recruited at the antenatal clinics and randomly assigned to either experimental or control group. The experimental group will receive the intervention in addition to the standard perinatal care, while the control group will only receive the standard perinatal care.

Intervention: The intervention consists of three weekly 2-hour antenatal sessions using an interpersonal psychotherapy approach that focused on enhancement of family sense of coherence and two telephone follow-ups within the first four weeks after delivery.

Outcome measures: The primary outcome measure of postnatal depression will be assessed by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Secondary outcome measures of family sense of coherence and the marital relationship, will be assessed by the Family Sense of Coherence Scale and Dyadic Adjustment, respectively, at baseline, immediately post-intervention, 6 weeks and 6 months postpartum.

Data analysis: Linear mixed models will be used to test for significant differences between the groups on outcome variables.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

455

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • Hong Kong
      • Kowloon, Hong Kong
        • Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 60 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • aged 18 or above;
  • married, first-time parents, live together;
  • able to speak and read Chinese; and Hong Kong residents.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • a present history of psychiatric illness

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Couple-based interpersonal psychotherapy
The intervention consists of three weekly 2-hour antenatal sessions and two 30-minute telephone follow-up sessions delivered within four weeks postpartum.
Behavioral: Couple-based interpersonal psychotherapy
The contents include: (1) an overview of changes associated with the role transition of parenthood and an introduction to the coping skills relating to role transition and parenting; (2) discussing common postpartum and interpersonal difficulties, such as conflicts with partners or extended family, and teaching effective communication skills to resolve interpersonal conflicts and maintain a good interpersonal relationship; and (3) building family strengths and resources by enhancing family sense of coherence, such as reassessing the challenges of the new role, applying problem solving techniques to deal with role transition and interpersonal problems, and developing new social support.
No Intervention: Control
The control group will receive the standard prenatal and postnatal care.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale
Time Frame: 6 weeks postpartum
Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale is a 10-item self-report scale assessing the presence of depressive symptoms in the postnatal period. Each item is scored on a 4-point scale with total scores ranging from 0 to 30. Higher score indicates greater depressive symptoms, i.e. worse outcome.
6 weeks postpartum

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale
Time Frame: 6 months postpartum
Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale is a 10-item self-report scale assessing the presence of depressive symptoms in the postnatal period. Each item is scored on a 4-point scale with total scores ranging from 0 to 30. Higher score indicates greater depressive symptoms, i.e. worse outcome.
6 months postpartum
Family Sense of Coherence Scale (Short Form)
Time Frame: 6 weeks postpartum
Family Sense of Coherence Scale Short Form is a 12-item scale assessing the extent to which the family perceives the environment as meaningful, comprehensible and manageable. Each item is scored on a 7-point scale, with total scores ranging from 7 to 84. Higher scores indicates a stronger perception of family life coherence, i.e. better outcome.
6 weeks postpartum
Family Sense of Coherence Scale (Short Form)
Time Frame: 6 months postpartum
Family Sense of Coherence Scale Short Form is a 12-item scale assessing the extent to which the family perceives the environment as meaningful, comprehensible and manageable. Each item is scored on a 7-point scale, with total scores ranging from 7 to 84. Higher scores indicates a stronger perception of family life coherence, i.e. better outcome.
6 months postpartum
Dyadic Adjustment Scale
Time Frame: 6 weeks postpartum
Dyadic Adjustment Scale is a 32-item measure with four sub-scales: consensus (13 items), satisfaction (10 items), cohesion (5 items), and affectional expression (4 items). A total score is calculated by summing all four subscales' score, with a range of 0-151. Higher scores indicates better adjustment to one's relationship, i.e. better outcome.
6 weeks postpartum
Dyadic Adjustment Scale
Time Frame: 6 months postpartum
Dyadic Adjustment Scale is a 32-item measure with four sub-scales: consensus (13 items), satisfaction (10 items), cohesion (5 items), and affectional expression (4 items). A total score is calculated by summing all four subscales' score, with a range of 0-151. Higher scores indicates better adjustment to one's relationship, i.e. better outcome.
6 months postpartum

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

May 30, 2019

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 31, 2022

Study Completion (Actual)

December 31, 2022

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 3, 2018

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 9, 2018

First Posted (Actual)

April 17, 2018

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 10, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 9, 2023

Last Verified

May 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • PolyU 156082/17H

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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