Effectiveness of a brief psychoeducational intervention on postnatal depression in the slums, Nairobi: a longitudinal study
Date
2020Author
Kariuki, Esther W
Kuria, Mary W
Were, Fredrick N
Ndetei, David M
Type
ArticleLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Research has shown that postnatal depression (PND) is higher in low- and middle-income countries as compared to higher-income countries. Despite this, little is known about practical interventions in these poorly resourced countries. This research investigated the effectiveness of a brief, prophylactic and therapeutic psychoeducational intervention in a low-resourced community in Nairobi. Two closely similar Maternal and Child Health (MCH) clinics in urban slums in Nairobi were identified and randomly selected. A total of 567 mothers formed the study population. The experimental group (284) mothers received the intervention, which included psychoeducation on PND, coping skills, healthy way of mother/child interaction and infant stimulation in addition to routine treatment, while the control group (283) mothers received treatment as usual. Data was collected using a social-demographic questionnaire and the English version of Becks Depression Inventory (BDI) at baseline. At 6 months, we reassessed both groups using BDI only. Within group comparison, the percentage reduction of depression was 35.6% among the experimental as compared to 2.3% in the control group. Between group comparison, the mean BDI depression score was significantly low in the experimental arm compared to the control arm at endline (p = 0.025). When all variables were adjusted, using a generalized linear model, BDI depression score reduction among the participants was significantly associated with the intervention (p = 0.040). A brief, psychoeducational intervention that targets the mother and her infant may reduce PND even in poorly resourced environments. Therefore, it can be integrated into existing MCH services.
Citation
Kariuki EW, Kuria MW, Were FN, Ndetei DM. Effectiveness of a brief psychoeducational intervention on postnatal depression in the slums, Nairobi: a longitudinal study. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2020 Nov 16. doi: 10.1007/s00737-020-01085-1. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33196927. ForPublisher
University of Nairobi
Subject
Low- and middle-income countries; Postnatal depression; Psychoeducation; Psychosocial intervention.Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United StatesUsage Rights
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/Collections
- Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) [10378]
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