Effect of antenatal psychological education to reduce postpartum depression and improve marital satisfaction: a randomized controlled trial in first time mothers referred to Baghatalah and Najmiyeh hospitals, 2013

Depression is devastating condition that not only affects pregnant women but also their infants. Therefore, the current research aimed to evaluate efficacy of psychological education on reducing this problem in at risk pregnant women and increasing their marital satisfaction. In this experimental study with pretest-posttest designs, 534 pregnant women who were in last trimester of their pregnancy were evaluated, and 135 at risk mothers were identified. The participants were randomly assigned to the experimental or control group. The intervention program composed of an 8 lesson of educational and cognitive-behaviorally based program that was delivered to the experimental group. Individual in the control group received usual care. In order to examine the effectiveness of intervention, symptoms of depression were assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale. Also using Enrich Marital Satisfaction Scale, participant's marital satisfaction was evaluated. Comparison of demographic information indicated there were no significant differences between the two groups. The reduction in post intervention assessments for depressive symptoms indicated the significant effect of intervention program (p<0/05), but no change in either group was found on the measure of marital satisfaction. Findings suggest that psychological interventions may reduce symptoms of emotional problems in postpartum period.