2002 International International Biennial Scientific Meeting

EFFECTIVENESS AND PROCESS OF A GROUP INTERVENTION FOR MOTHERS WITH POSTNATAL DEPRESSION

Tracy Rydin-Orwin

University of Exeter, UK

tracy@rydin-orwin.org.uk

Objective: There have been many efficacy studies looking at the various treatment methods for postnatal depression, not many have evaluated group treatment, with few establishing whether the interventions in efficacy studies are able to be implemented and still be effective in clinical practice. The evidence base has shown that any therapeutic intervention leads to a faster resolution of depression than routine care. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a group intervention (that has been shown to significantly reduce depression in an efficacy study) that has been implemented into clinical practice and investigate mothers' and facilitators' perceptions of the group process.

Method: Ten women scoring 12 or greater on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in the postnatal period were offered a 10-week group intervention based on the Milgrom, Martin and Negri (1999) model, which included educational, social support and cognitive behavioural components.

Results: Following treatment, a significant improvement in depression, anxiety and perceived social support was shown on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Perceived Social Support Scale for family and friends. Women's perceptions of their difficulties significantly improved during the 10 weeks. The mothers' and facilitators' perceptions of what they found helpful were similar.

Conclusion: The results suggest that the Milgrom et al (1999) model is also effective at reducing postnatal depression, anxiety and altering women's perceptions of their difficulties, when utilised in clinical practice. Further research is required to look at the specific factors e.g. facilitator skills and personal factors of the women, to establish who would be best to offer such an intervention and which women would benefit most.