SynthesisMedicine2020
Role of psychotherapy on antenatal depression, anxiety, and maternal quality of life: A meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 35 citations in OpenAlex.
- The evidence base of interventions to treat antenatal depression: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Archives of women's mental health · 2026Pooled it
- Psychological treatment of perinatal depression: a meta-analysis.Psychological medicine · 2023Pooled it
- Digitalized Cognitive Behavioral Interventions for Depressive Symptoms During Pregnancy: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Pooled it
- An intervention to address prenatal anxiety improves maternal-infant bonding, with effects mediated by maternal-infant responsiveness, maternal self-efficacy, and postpartum depression.Infant mental health journal · 2025Trial
- Article
- Optimizing Psychological Health Across the Perinatal Period: An Update on Maternal Cardiovascular Health: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.Journal of the American Heart Association · 2025Review
- Internet-assisted cognitive behavioral therapy with telephone coaching versus an educational control for antenatal depression: protocol for a randomized controlled trial with population-based screening.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Efficacy and safety of a mineral and vitamin treatment on symptoms of antenatal depression: 12-week fully blinded randomised placebo-controlled trial (NUTRIMUM).BJPsych open · 2024Article
- Integrating WHO thinking healthy programme for maternal mental health into routine antenatal care in China: a randomized-controlled pilot trial.Frontiers in global women's health · 2024Article
- Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on postpartum depression: A study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Article
- Patterns of peripartum depression screening and detection in a large, multi-site, integrated healthcare system.Archives of women's mental health · 2022Observational
- Psychological Interventions for Prenatal Anxiety in Latinas and Black Women: A Scoping Review and Recommendations.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
- Resilience mediates the effect of self-efficacy on symptoms of prenatal anxiety among pregnant women: a nationwide smartphone cross-sectional study in China.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2021Article
- Current Resources for Evidence-Based Practice, November 2020.Journal of obstetric, gynecologic, and neonatal nursing : JOGNN · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDepression and anxiety are common psychological manifestations encountered during the antenatal stage of pregnancy. Treatments by pharmacological interventions have been reported to impart negative implications on maternal and fetal health outcomes. Therefore, the use of psychotherapeutic interventions to bypass these side-effects and manage depression, anxiety has received a lot of attention. A meta-statistical consensus regarding the intervention is available, but with several limitations. In this study, we attempt to address these limitations and provide the current state of evidence evaluating the influence of psychotherapy on antenatal depression, anxiety, and maternal quality of life.
objectiveTo demonstrate the effects of psychotherapy on depression, anxiety, and maternal quality of life during the antenatal stage of pregnancy.
methodsA systematic identification of literature was performed according to PRISMA guidelines on four academic databases: MEDLINE, Scopus, EMBASE, and CENTRAL. A meta-analysis evaluated the influence of psychotherapy on depression, anxiety, and maternal quality of life as compared to conventional obstetric care.
resultsOut of 1146 records, 22 articles including 2146 pregnant women (mean age: 28.6 ± 2.8 years) were included in this review. This systematic review presents a 1b level of evidence supporting the use of psychotherapy for reducing depression, anxiety and enhancing maternal quality of life. The meta-analysis reveals the beneficial effects of psychotherapy for reducing depression (Hedge g: -0.48), anxiety (-0.47) and enhancing maternal quality of life (0.19) as compared to conventional obstetric care.
conclusionsThe current systematic review and meta-analysis recommend the use of psychotherapy as for reducing depression, anxiety and enhancing maternal quality of life during the antenatal stage of pregnancy.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.