SynthesisBMC psychiatry2023
Effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy-based interventions for maternal perinatal depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC psychiatry, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 39 papers, 7 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
39 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Cost Effectiveness of Interventions for Perinatal Anxiety and/or Depression: A Systematic Review of Global Evidence.Applied health economics and health policy · 2026Pooled it
- The evidence base of interventions to treat antenatal depression: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Archives of women's mental health · 2026Pooled it
- Which therapy works best for maternal depressive symptoms? A network meta-analysis of psychotherapeutic interventions.Archives of women's mental health · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of Nonpharmacological Interventions on Stress, Anxiety, and Depression of Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.Worldviews on evidence-based nursing · 2025Pooled it
- Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments 2024 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Perinatal Mood, Anxiety, and Related Disorders: Guide de pratique 2024 du Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments pour le traitement des troubles de l'humeur, des troubles anxieux et des troubles connexes périnatals.Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie · 2025Guideline
- Efficacy of mind-body exercise for perinatal depression and anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of Factors Associated With Treatment Engagement and Outcome for Women in the Perinatal Period Receiving Individual Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Depression, Anxiety, and Trauma-Related Disorders.Depression and anxiety · 2025Pooled it
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Individuals With Low Literacy and Perinatal Depression: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2026Trial
- Internet-Based Problem Management Plus Intervention for Antenatal Depression: Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Trial
- Profiles of Depressive Symptoms Among Pregnant Patients Carrying Fetuses with Congenital Anomalies.Journal of clinical psychology in medical settings · 2026Article
- Caresses and coos: Examining long-term effects of a perinatal depression preventive intervention on parental warmth.Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43) · 2026Article
- Adverse Childhood Experiences, Pregnancy and Postpartum Depressive Symptoms, and Child Socioemotional Problems Over the First Three Years of Life.Child maltreatment · 2026Article
- Parental Perspectives on Prenatal Counseling and Communication at the Time of Initial Evaluation and Diagnosis of Congenital Heart Disease.American journal of perinatology · 2026Article
- Feasibility and Acceptability of a Prevention-Focused Screener for Perinatal Depression Risk: Mixed Methods Cohort Study.JMIR human factors · 2026Article
- Exploring factors influencing mother-infant interaction trajectories post-NICU discharge in low-birth-weight infants during COVID-19 in China: a longitudinal qualitative study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- Review
- Barriers to accessing perinatal mental health services in ethnically diverse women in the UK.BMC psychiatry · 2026Article
- Article
- The effectiveness of Parenthood-Centred Psychotherapy on perinatal maternal depressive-anxiety symptoms and child development in a disadvantaged population.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Application of internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy for negative emotions in pregnant women: a narrative review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Review
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.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDepression during the perinatal period (during pregnancy and the year after childbirth) is common and associated with a range of negative effects for mothers, infants, family members, and wider society. Although existing evidence suggests cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) based interventions are effective for perinatal depression, less is known about the effect of CBT-based interventions on important secondary outcomes, and a number of potential clinical and methodological moderators have not been examined.
methodsA systematic review and meta-analysis primarily examined the effectiveness of CBT-based interventions for perinatal depression on symptoms of depression. Secondary aims examined the effectiveness of CBT-based interventions for perinatal depression on symptoms of anxiety, stress, parenting, perceived social support, and perceived parental competence; and explored clinical and methodological moderators potentially associated with effectiveness. A systematic search of electronic databases and other sources was performed up to November 2021. We included randomized controlled trials comparing CBT-based interventions for perinatal depression with control conditions allowing for the isolation of the effects of CBT.
resultsIn total, 31 studies (5291 participants) were included in the systematic review and 26 studies (4658 participants) were included in the meta-analysis. The overall effect size was medium (hedges g = - 0.53 [95% CI - 0.65 to - 0.40]); with high heterogeneity. Significant effects were also found for anxiety, individual stress, and perceived social support, however few studies examined secondary outcomes. Subgroup analysis identified type of control, type of CBT, and type of health professional as significant moderators of the main effect (symptoms of depression). Some concerns of risk of bias were present in the majority of studies and one study had a high risk of bias.
conclusionsCBT-based interventions for depression during the perinatal period appear effective, however results should be interpreted with caution given high levels of heterogeneity and low quality of included studies. There is a need to further investigate possibly important clinical moderators of effect, including the type of health professional delivering interventions. Further, results indicate a need to establish a minimum core data set to improve the consistency of secondary outcome collection across trials and to design and conduct trials with longer-term follow-up periods.
trial registrationCRD42020152254 .
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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.