The Effect of an Exercise Program in Reducing the Severity of Postpartum Depression in Women

Didem Kucukkelepce

Status: Completed

Conditions: Depression, Postpartum

Treatments: Behavioral: Exercises

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04043533

AdıyamanUniversty

Details and patient eligibility

About

Aim: This study aims to identify the effectiveness of an exercise program in reducing the severity of postnatal depression in women who had a spontaneous vaginal delivery.

Methods: This randomized control trial was conducted with 65 postpartum women residing in a city located in the south-eastern Turkey. In the first postpartum month, following random assignment of subjects, the experimental group (n=40) performed exercises for four weeks, and the control group (n=40) received standard cares. The participating women were administered the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale.

Full description

Postpartum depression is characterized by irritability, guilt, burnout, anxiety, sleep disorders, and somatic symptoms that could have negative effects on the mother, baby, and family.

In a meta-analysis study including 219 prevalence studies from 56 countries that investigated different phases of postpartum using various data collection tools, Hahn-Holbrook et al. (2018) found the depression prevalence at the global level as 17.7% (Hahn-Holbrook, 2018). In Turkey, 23.8% of women in the postpartum period were reported to be suffering from postpartum depression, which underlines the need for health professionals to be concerned about the health of the women in the postpartum period.

Exercises done in the postpartum period are reported to enable psychosocial well-being, less anxiety and depression, better cardiovascular adaptation, body fat/weight control, less bone loss caused by lactation, and less stress incontinence. Studies have generally indicated the importance of regular exercise in the postpartum period. Studies have generally indicated the importance of regular exercise in the postpartum period.

Enrollment: 80 patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 19 to 40 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. must be score of 13 and over in the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS),
2. must being between 19 and 40 years old,
3. must had a spontaneous vaginal delivery between the 38th and 42nd weeks of pregnancy,
4. must had a healthy newborn baby with 2500 gr and over

Exclusion criteria

1. postpartum obstetric complications
2. psychiatric disease history before or during pregnancy

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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80 participants in 2 patient groups

Exercises Group

Experimental group

Treatment:

Behavioral: Exercises

Control Group

No Intervention group