ArticleBMC pregnancy and childbirth2020
Effectiveness of a guided ACT-based self-help resilience training for depressive symptoms during pregnancy: Study protocol of a randomized controlled trial embedded in a prospective cohort.
Article in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.
- Application of internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy for negative emotions in pregnant women: a narrative review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Review
- Trajectories of antenatal depression and adverse pregnancy outcomes: A prospective cohort study.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2025Article
- Investigating the effect of guided self-help through social networks on post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and resilience of mothers with children suffering from febrile seizures.Journal of education and health promotion · 2025Article
- The effects of aromatherapy on the mood state and resilience of pregnant women: A clinical trial.Journal of education and health promotion · 2024Article
- Resilience-enhancing interventions for antepartum depressive symptoms: systematic review.BJPsych open · 2022Review
- Associations among fear of childbirth, resilience and psychological distress in pregnant women: A response surface analysis and moderated mediation model.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
- Effectiveness of web-based and mobile-based psychological interventions to prevent perinatal depression: Study protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Internet interventions · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 7 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundDuring pregnancy, about 10 to 20% of women experience depressive symptoms. Subclinical depression increases the risk of peripartum depression, maternal neuro-endocrine dysregulations, and adverse birth and infant outcomes. Current treatments often comprise face-to-face psychological or pharmacological treatments that may be too intensive for women with subclinical depression leading to drop-out and moderate effectiveness. Therefore, easily accessible, resilience enhancing and less stigmatizing interventions are needed to prevent the development of clinical depression. This paper describes the protocol of a prospective cohort study with an embedded randomized controlled trial (RCT) that aims to improve mental resilience in a sample of pregnant women through a self-help program based on the principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Maternal and offspring correlates of the trajectories of peripartum depressive symptoms will also be studied.
methodsPregnant women (≥ 18 years) receiving care in Dutch midwifery practices will participate in a prospective cohort study (n ~ 3500). Between 12 and 18 weeks of pregnancy, all women will be screened for depression with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Women with an EPDS score ≥ 11 will be evaluated with a structured clinical interview. Participants with subclinical depression (n = 290) will be randomized to a 9-week guided self-help ACT-training or to care as usual (CAU). Primary outcomes (depressive symptoms and resilience) and secondary outcomes (e.g. anxiety and PTSD, bonding, infant development) will be collected via online questionnaires at four prospective assessments around 20 weeks and 30 weeks gestation and at 6 weeks and 4 months postpartum. Maternal hair cortisol concentrations will be assessed in a subsample of women with a range of depressive symptoms (n = 300). The intervention's feasibility will be assessed through qualitative interviews in a subsample of participants (n = 20). DISCUSSION: This is the first study to assess the effectiveness of an easy to administer intervention strategy to prevent adverse mental health effects through enhancing resilience in pregnant women with antepartum depressive symptomatology. This longitudinal study will provide insights into trajectories of peripartum depressive symptoms in relation to resilience, maternal cortisol, psychological outcomes, and infant developmental milestones.
trial registrationNetherlands Trial Register (NTR), NL7499 . Registered 5 February 2019.
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