Trial reportJournal of medical Internet research2025
Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Preventing Postpartum Depressive Symptoms Among Pregnant Individuals With Depression: Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial in China.
Trial report in Journal of medical Internet research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Digital Health Interventions for Perinatal Depression in Diverse Cultural Contexts: a Systematic Review.Current psychiatry reports · 2025Pooled it
- The Effects of Human Caring Theory-Based Interventions on Women's Mental Health: A Systematic Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Advances in Perinatal Depression: A Focus on Screening and Treatment.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Effects of internet-based supportive intervention on knowledge, pregnancy stress, fear of childbirth, and pregnancy outcomes in primiparas.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Application of internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy for negative emotions in pregnant women: a narrative review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Review
- TruVox Web-Based Software for Vocal Pitch Training in Transgender Women: Development and Single-Session Evaluations.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- Culturally Relevant Coparenting Interventions for Diverse Families: A Scoping Review.Clinical child and family psychology review · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
16 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWomen are particularly vulnerable to depression during pregnancy, which is one of the strongest risk factors for developing postpartum depression (PPD). Addressing antenatal depressive symptoms in these women is crucial for preventing PPD. However, little is known about the effectiveness of internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT) in preventing PPD in this high-risk group.
objectiveThis study aims to evaluate the short- and long-term effects of ICBT in preventing PPD among women with antenatal depressive symptoms.
methodsParticipants were screened for antenatal depressive symptoms using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and randomly allocated (1:1) to either the ICBT group (receiving weekly online modules starting antenatally and continuing into early postpartum) or the control group (observed without treatment). Follow-up assessments were conducted up to 12 months postpartum, and data were analyzed using generalized estimating equations. The primary outcome was the prevalence of depressive symptoms at 6 weeks postpartum. A subgroup analysis based on the severity of antenatal depressive symptoms was also performed. The secondary outcomes included the long-term effects of ICBT on maternal depression, as well as its impact on anxiety, sleep quality, social support, parenting stress, co-parenting relationships, and infant development.
resultsBetween August 2020 and September 2021, 300 pregnant individuals were recruited from 5 centers across China. No significant differences were observed in depressive symptoms at 6 weeks postpartum (P=.18) or at any longer-term follow-up time points (P=.18). However, a post hoc subgroup analysis showed that participants with antenatal EPDS scores of 10-12 in the ICBT group had a lower risk of developing depression during the first year postpartum (odds ratio 0.534, 95% CI 0.313-0.912; P=.02), but this was not observed for participants with more severe depression. Additionally, this subgroup demonstrated higher levels of co-parenting relationships (P=.02).
conclusionsAmong individuals with antenatal depression, ICBT did not prevent the development of PPD. However, ICBT may be a preferable option for those with mild to moderate antenatal depressive symptoms. Future research is needed to explore modifications to ICBT to address more severe depressive symptoms.
trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2000033433; https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=54482. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR2-10.1186/s13063-022-06728-5.
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