Postpartum depression in women receiving public assistance: pilot study of an interpersonal-therapy-oriented group intervention.
OBJECTIVE
This study investigated whether a preventive intervention based on the principles of interpersonal psychotherapy administered to pregnant women would reduce the risk of postpartum major depression.


METHODS
Thirty-seven pregnant women receiving public assistance who had at least one risk factor for postpartum depression were randomly assigned to a four-session group intervention or to a treatment-as-usual condition. Thirty-five of the women completed the study. Structured diagnostic interviews were administered to assess for postpartum major depression.


RESULTS
Within 3 months after they gave birth, six (33%) of the 18 women in the treatment-as-usual condition had developed postpartum major depression, compared with none of the 17 women in the intervention condition.


CONCLUSIONS
A four-session interpersonal-therapy-oriented group intervention was successful in preventing the occurrence of major depression during a postpartum period of 3 months in a group of financially disadvantaged women.
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, Providence, RI 02906, USA. caron.zlotnick@brown.edu
C
C
Zlotnick
S L
SL
Johnson
I W
IW
Miller
T
T
Pearlstein
M
M
Howard
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008016:Life Change Events; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010865:Pilot Projects; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group / Q000379:methods*; D011632:Public Assistance; D012307:Risk Factors