Silje Marie Haga

Mamma mia: a feasibility study of a web-based intervention to reduce the risk of postpartum depression and enhance subjective well-being.

Background Currently, 10-15% of women giving birth suffer from symptoms of postpartum depression. Due to a lack of knowledge of this condition and the stigma associated with it, as well as few treatment options, a large proportion of postpartum women with depression remain untreated. Internet-based interventions have been found effective in treating depression, anxiety, phobias, and addictions. Hence, we developed such program (“Mamma Mia”) with the aim of reducing the risk for postpartum depression and enhance subjective well-being. Mamma Mia is based on positive psychology, metacognitive therapy, and couples therapy. It starts in gestational week 22, and lasts until 6 months after birth. During pregnancy, Mamma Mia is delivered weekly (every Monday). After birth, Mamma Mia is delivered three times per week for six weeks. The remaining weeks, the program is delivered more sporadically. In total, Mamma Mia consists of 44 sessions. The program is individualized, interactive, and tunneled (ie, the user is guided through the program in a pre-determined manner). Objective The purpose of the present study was to pilot test the intervention in order to assess the feasibility and acceptance among program users. Methods The present paper reports a feasibility study that combined quantitative survey data with semi-structured interviews. Participants (N=103) were recruited via hospitals, well-baby clinics, and Facebook. Due to time constraint in completing the current study, our results were based on participation in one of the two phases: pregnancy or maternity. Participants in the pregnancy phase were surveyed 4 and 8 weeks after intervention enrollment, and participants in the postnatal phase were surveyed 2 and 4 weeks after intervention enrollment. The survey assessed perceived usefulness, ease-of-use, credibility, and unobtrusiveness. All measures were filled in by participants at both measurement occasions. Data were analyzed by running descriptives and frequencies with corresponding percentages. Binomial tests were carried out to investigate whether demographics differed significantly from a 50/50 distribution. Paired sample t tests were used to examine differences between time 1 and 2. Four participants were interviewed in the qualitative follow-up study, where they were given the opportunity to address and elaborate on similar aspects as assessed in the survey. Results More than two-thirds of users found Mamma Mia to be of high quality and would recommend Mamma Mia to others. By far, most also found the amount of information and frequency of the intervention schedule to be appropriate. Mamma Mia was perceived as a user-friendly and credible intervention. Conclusions Overall, the user acceptance of Mamma Mia was good and our findings add to the feasibility of the program. The effect of Mamma Mia on depression and subjective well-being will be evaluated in a large randomized controlled trial, and if found to be effective, Mamma Mia could serve as a low-threshold prevention program.

The implementation of internet interventions for depression: A scoping review

Background Depression is one of the most common mental health problems among adults, but effective treatments are not widely accessible. The Internet holds promise as a cost-effective and convenient delivery platform of interventions for depression. However, studies suggest that Internet interventions are not widely available in routine settings. Objective The aim of this study was to review the literature and examine whether there are systematic differences in reporting of the various implementation components on Internet interventions for depression, and then to examine what is known about and is characteristic of the implementation of these Internet interventions in regular care settings. Methods We performed a scoping review, drawing upon a broad range of the literature on Internet interventions for depression in regular care, and used the active implementation framework to extract data. Results Overall, the results suggested that knowledge about the implementation of Internet interventions for depression in regular care is limited. However, guided support from health professionals emphasizing program adherence and recruitment of end users to the interventions emerged as 2 main themes. We identified 3 additional themes among practitioners, including their qualifications, training, and supervision, but these were scarcely described in the literature. The competency drivers (ie, staff and user selection, training, and supervision) have received the most attention, while little attention has been given to organizational (ie, decision support, administration, and system intervention) and leadership drivers. Conclusions Research has placed little emphasis on reporting on the implementation of interventions in practice. Leadership and organizational drivers, in particular, have been largely neglected. The results of this scoping review have implications for future research and efforts to successfully implement Internet interventions for depression in regular care.

Latent trajectory classes of postpartum depressive symptoms: A regional population-based longitudinal study

PURPOSE This study aimed to (a) assess trajectories of womens depressive symptoms during the first year postpartum to (b) identify potential unobserved classes of women as defined by their trajectories, (c) identify antepartum and early postpartum risk factors associated with trajectory classes, and (d) examine the association between trajectory classes and counselling during the postpartum period. METHODS Data on depressive symptoms, using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), were collected from 1374 women across nine Norwegian well-baby clinics at 1.5, 4, 6, and 12 months postpartum. Well-baby clinics offer universal, free services to all families living in the municipality. Thus, there were no specific exclusion criteria for this study. All clinics had implemented the Edinburgh-method which combines screening for PPD, using the EPDS, with supportive counselling. RESULTS Analyses showed that depressive symptoms decreased initially, followed by a flattening in symptoms at 6 months. Mixture analyses, however, identified two classes of women with distinct trajectories; (1) a low-risk (n = 1249, 91%) and (2) a high-risk group (n = 119, 9%). Complications after birth, elevated prenatal depressive symptoms, previous or current mental illness, and gestational week, predicted trajectory class membership. Women in the high-risk group were more likely to receive counselling than low-risk women. LIMITATIONS Women had higher educational level than the general population and one of the municipalities did not have a 12-months routine consultation. CONCLUSION Findings suggest heterogeneity among women in their depressive symptoms during the first year postpartum with a distinct set of risk factors associated with high-risk women. This has implications for the prevention and follow-up of women during pregnancy and the first year after childbirth.