Relationship-Based Intervention for Post-Partum Depression

Reichman University

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Post Partum Depression

Treatments: Other: Post-partum depression- Psycho-educational therapy; Other: Post-partum depression- Dyadic psychotherapy-

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04193462

InterdisciplinaryCH

Details and patient eligibility

About

A short term dyadic psychotherapy intervention for mothers with Post-Partum depression and their babies in the first year of life was developed. The investigators believe that following dyadic intervention mothers will show improvement in depressive symptoms, the quality of the mother-child relationship will improve, and maternal and infant's oxytocin levels will rise.

Full description

Subjects: 60 Mothers will be interviewed and diagnosed as suffering from Post-Partum- depression (PPD) according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, IV version (DSM-IV), enrolling within 3-8 months postpartum. Mothers will be recruited through social media networks. Additional 40 mothers, 3-8 months postpartum will be assessed and diagnosed as not suffering from PPD or any other psychiatric psychopathology.

Procedure: The baseline assessment will be conducted at the infant's home. A parent-infant interaction will be videotaped and salivary oxytocin samples will be collected from the infant and from the mother.

The women in the PPD group will participate in 8 weeks of dyadic psychotherapy (DP) combining video feedback, or a psycho-educational treatment regarding child development (randomize selection will be made). During the 8-week treatment, salivary oxytocin samples will be collected from the infants and from the mother at the beginning and the end of each session.

Another assessment will be conducted at the infant's home, at the end of the treatment. As in the baseline condition, this assessment will include videotaped parent-infant interaction, as well as salivary oxytocin samples collection from the mother and from the infant. Parent-infant interaction will be filmed and assessed using the CIB Manual (Feldman, 1998) and the synchrony coding system.

Healthy mothers will undergo the same baseline assessment and a second assessment within 2-3 months, and won't get any treatment.

Enrollment: 100 estimated patients

Sex: Female

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• women diagnosed with Post-Partum depression, major or minor, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th version (DSM-5)
• 3-8 months after birth of one baby

Exclusion criteria

• Mothers of twins
• Mothers of premature babies
• Comorbidity of psychopathology, women who have severe personality disorder or other psychiatric diagnose, besides depression or anxiety
• Women or babies who suffer from severe medical condition, such as developmental problems for the baby or disability.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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100 participants in 3 patient groups

Post-partum depression- Dyadic psychotherapy

Experimental group

Description:

Mothers and infants will be treated with 8 weeks dyadic psychotherapy at their home using video-feedback of mother-infant interaction to discuss main issues in the mother-infant relationship.

Treatment:

Other: Post-partum depression- Dyadic psychotherapy-

Post-partum depression- Psycho-educational therapy

Active Comparator group

Description:

8 weeks of supportive therapy for the mother at her house, involving the baby. Each session will include different aspects of psycho-education regarding development of the baby.

Treatment:

Other: Post-partum depression- Psycho-educational therapy

Control- Healthy mothers and their babies

No Intervention group

Description:

No intervention for 8 weeks.