Interpersonal psychotherapy for perinatal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

Non-directive supportive therapy for depression: A meta-analytic review

BACKGROUND

Non-directive supportive therapy (NDST) is an important treatment of adult depression, but no recent meta-analysis has integrated the randomized trials examining its effects.

METHODS

We conducted a meta-analysis comparing NDST to control conditions and to other therapies, by using an existing database of randomized trials of psychological treatments of depression in adults. This database was built through searches in PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase and the Cochrane Library.

RESULTS

48 randomized controlled trials (5075 participants), with 20 comparisons between NDST and a control group and 49 comparisons between NDST and another psychotherapy were included. Random effects meta-analyses found an effect size of NDST compared with control conditions of g = 0.53 (95 % CI, 0.34; 0.72) with moderate heterogeneity (I2 = 51; 95 % CI: 18; 71; PI = -0.02 to 1.09). NDST was less effective than other therapies (g = -0.21; 95 % CI: -0.31; -0.11). The difference with other therapies was significantly larger in studies in which NDST was used as a control group (p = .003). There was no significant difference between NDST and other therapies in which NDST was not used as a control group (k = 14; g = -0.05; 95 % CI: -0.17; 0.07).

CONCLUSIONS

NDST probably is an effective treatment of depression. The effects may be somewhat smaller than those of other therapies, but that may also be an artefact, because NDST is often used as a control group and may be designed as an "intent-to-fail" intervention in some studies.

Effect of interpersonal psychotherapy on social functioning, overall functioning and negative emotions for depression: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) has been widely used for depression. However, current studies of IPT have been restricted to depressive symptoms, and the results for improving social functioning were controversial.

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted through eleven databases. Data analysis was performed by RevMan5.3, and effects were summarized by using a random effects model of mean differences with 95 % confidence intervals.

RESULTS

From 2443 records, eleven studies met inclusion and exclusion criteria were used for meta-analysis. The results showed that IPT had significant effects on improving social functioning (SMD: -0.53, 95 % CI: -0.80 to -0.26), reducing depression (SMD: -0.49, 95 % CI: -0.80 to -0.19) and anxiety (SMD: -0.90, 95 % CI: -1.28 to -0.52), but the effect on the overall functioning (SMD: -0.37, 95 % CI: -0.73 to -0.01) is not obvious. Moreover, subgroup analysis showed that IPT was effective in improving social functioning in adolescent depression (SMD: -0.35, 95 % CI: -0.58 to -0.13) and perinatal depression (SMD: -1.01, 95 % CI: -1.35 to -0.67), while there was no significant difference in the adult depression group (SMD: -0.39, 95 % CI: -1.05 to 0.27).

LIMITATION

The blind method cannot be carried out in most studies due to the particularity of psychotherapy, heterogeneity in some results.

CONCLUSION

IPT has a significant effect on improving social functioning and reducing depression and anxiety, while the effect on overall functioning requires further research. Overall, IPT is one of the effective nonpharmacological treatments for depression.

Prevalence of Depression or Anxiety During Antepartum Hospitalizations for Obstetric Complications: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To systematically review the prevalence of antenatal depression and anxiety in women hospitalized in an antepartum unit for obstetric complications.

DATA SOURCES

We searched PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and ClinicalTrials.gov for English-language articles published from database inception through March 2020.

METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION

We included cross-sectional, cohort, case-control, quasi-experimental, and randomized controlled studies from any country that reported the proportion of pregnant women with an elevated depression or anxiety screening scale or diagnostic interview during antepartum hospitalization of any duration and at any gestational age.

TABULATION, INTEGRATION, AND RESULTS

We identified 8,799 articles and reviewed 79, 39 of which were included in a systematic review and 18 in meta-analysis of the primary outcome. Two raters independently assessed quality of individual studies using a 14-question tool. A random effects meta-analysis model was used to estimate prevalence and 95% CI of depression or anxiety. Heterogeneity was examined with the I2 test, and funnel plots were used to assess publication bias. After meta-analysis, the estimated prevalence of depression was 34% (95% CI 27-41%) and of anxiety 29% (95% CI 16-43%). There was expected substantial clinical and methodologic heterogeneity between studies that persisted even after planned a priori subgroup analyses and meta-regression. Even so, the direction of effect was consistent across studies. No publication bias was found.

CONCLUSION

The current meta-analysis suggests that one in three women hospitalized during pregnancy for obstetric complications report clinical levels of depression or anxiety symptoms, twice the reported prevalence of antenatal depression or anxiety in the general obstetric population.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

PROSPERO, CRD42020172111.

Editorial: Mental Health in Pregnancy and Child Development: Implications for Mental Health Service Delivery

Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) are a significant and prevalent group of mental health concerns, and there are growing expectations for them to be identified and addressed in both obstetric and pediatric primary care settings.^1,2 Adversity during pregnancy, including maternal stress, depression, and/or anxiety, has been shown to be associated with adverse outcomes for the child, including emotional and behavioral functioning and changes in brain development such as cortical thickening and white matter structural differences.^3,4 There are multiple potential mechanisms to explain these associations, including ontogenetic vulnerabilities (ie, developmental changes in the fetal period) resulting from physiological effects of PMADs in pregnancy, as well as disruption of the early parent-child bonding relationship that often occurs with PMAD symptoms.⁵.

Interpersonal Psychotherapy to Reduce Psychological Distress in Perinatal Women: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) is a psychological intervention with established efficacy in the prevention and treatment of depressive disorders. Previous systematic reviews have not evaluated the effectiveness of IPT on symptoms of stress, anxiety, depression, quality of life, relationship satisfaction/quality, social supports, and an improved psychological sense of wellbeing. There is limited information regarding moderating and mediating factors that impact the effectiveness of IPT such as the timing of the intervention or the mode of delivery of IPT intervention. The overall objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the effectiveness of IPT interventions to treat perinatal (from pregnancy up to 12 months postpartum) psychological distress.

METHODS

MEDLINE(R) and Epub Ahead of Print, In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations and Daily (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), PsycINFO (Ovid), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (OVID), CINAHL with Full Text (Ebsco), Social Work Abstracts (Ebsco), SocINDEX with Full Text (Ebsco), Academic Search Complete (Ebsco), Family & Society Studies Worldwide (Ebsco), Family Studies Abstracts (Ebsco), and Scopus databases were searched from inception until 31 January 2019. Two researchers independently screened articles for eligibility. Of the 685 screened articles, 43 met the inclusion criteria. The search was re-run on 11 May 2020. An additional 204 articles were screened and two met the inclusion criteria, resulting in a total of 45 studies included in this review. There were 25 Randomized Controlled Trials, 10 Quasi-experimental studies, eight Open Trials, and two Single Case Studies. All included studies were critically appraised for quality.

RESULTS

In most studies (n = 24, 53%), the IPT intervention was delivered individually; in 17 (38%) studies IPT was delivered in a group setting and two (4%) studies delivered the intervention as a combination of group and individual IPT. Most interventions were initiated during pregnancy (n = 27, 60%), with the remaining 18 (40%) studies initiating interventions during the postpartum period.

LIMITATIONS

This review included only English-language articles and peer-reviewed literature. It excluded government reports, dissertations, conference papers, and reviews. This limited the access to grassroots or community-based recruitment and retention strategies that may have been used to target smaller or marginalized groups of perinatal women.

CONCLUSIONS

IPT is an effective intervention for the prevention and treatment of psychological distress in women during their pregnancy and postpartum period. As a treatment intervention, IPT is effective in significantly reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety as well as improving social support, relationship quality/satisfaction, and adjustment. Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO CRD42019114292.