Effect of educational- counseling program based on precede-proceed model during Pregnancy on postpartum depression.
Tahereh Baloochi Beydokhti, Atefeh Dehnoalian, Mahdi Moshki and 1 others
PMID 33438825WHAT IT FOUND
Women who received four group education and counselling sessions during pregnancy had fewer cases of postpartum depression: 4 of 60 versus 24 of 70 with routine classes.
Key findings
01Postpartum depression was less common after the pregnancy programme: 4 of 60 women in the intervention group and 24 of 70 in the control group were depressed.
02Mean postpartum depression scores after the programme were lower in the intervention group, at 7.68 versus 10.69 in the control group.
03General health scores did not differ between the intervention and control groups after the programme.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The trial analysed 130 women, and 7 participants were lost during allocation and follow-up. It was done in one area of Iran among women who were literate, had a healthy fetus, and had no history of depression, so it may not apply to other settings or higher-risk pregnancies. Postpartum depression was assessed only 4 to 6 weeks after childbirth, so longer-term effects were not measured. The control group received routine pregnancy classes, so the comparison is with usual care rather than no care. The intervention combined education and counselling, so the effect of each part is unclear.
Declared interests
The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that any prenatal education programme prevents postpartum depression. This was a small trial in one region of Iran, the control group still received routine childbirth classes, and general health did not improve.