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Enhancing Postpartum Mental Health: Evaluation of the Effect of Remote Peer Support Intervention

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 August 2024

H. Němcová ,
K. Hrdličková ,
M. Kuklová ,
A. Horáková ,
E. Nosková ,
P. Švancer ,
N. Byatt  and
A. Šebela
H. Němcová*
Affiliation:
1National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany 2Faculty of Arts, Department of Psychology
K. Hrdličková
Affiliation:
1National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany 2Faculty of Arts, Department of Psychology
M. Kuklová
Affiliation:
1National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany 3Faculty of Science, Department of Demography and Geodemography 4Second Faculty of Medicine
A. Horáková
Affiliation:
1National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany 5First Faculty of Medicine
E. Nosková
Affiliation:
1National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany 6Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
P. Švancer
Affiliation:
1National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany 6Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
N. Byatt
Affiliation:
7Department of Psychiatry, UMass Chan Medical School and UMass Memorial Health, Worcester, United States
A. Šebela
Affiliation:
1National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany 6Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

The postpartum period poses a risk of both onset and relapse of mental health disorders in mothers, which can impact maternal-child relationships and development of children. Timely intervention is crucial, especially considering that majority of at-risk women do not seek professional help.

Objectives

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Mom Supports Mom, a remote peer support intervention, in improving the mental health of postpartum women.

Methods

A randomized controlled trial with 488 Czech postpartum women with depressive symptoms (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, EPDS score ≥ 10 shortly after giving birth) assessed the impact of Mom Supports Mom on depressive and anxiety symptoms (EPDS and Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale, PASS) and health-related quality of life (Assessment of Quality of Life, AQoL-8D) at 6 weeks postpartum. The Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview 5 (MINI) was used to assess psychiatric diagnoses.

Results

The intervention significantly reduced depressive (Cohen’s d = 0.30; p = 0.003) and anxiety symptoms (Cohen’s d = 0.29; p = 0.003) and improved health-related quality of life (Cohen’s d = 0.27; p = 0.008) at 6 weeks postpartum. No significant difference was observed in psychiatric diagnoses between the intervention and the control group.

Conclusions

Mom Supports Mom intervention reduces postpartum depressive and anxiety symptoms and enhances health-related quality of life. These findings support the integration of peer support into perinatal mental health care, addressing barriers that women face in seeking help.

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared

Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 67 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 32nd European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2024 , pp. S268 - S269
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of European Psychiatric Association
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