A mother-infant therapy group model for postpartum depression

This pilot study examined the feasibility and efficacy of a manualized, 12-week mother-infant therapy group (M-ITG) model for women with moderate to severe depressive symptoms during the postpartum period. Study participants were referred to the psychiatric clinic of a university medical center for assessment and treatment for postpartum depression. Results of pre- and post comparisons utilizing self-report and observational measures showed that women in the M-ITG groups (n = 18) reported significantly fewer depressive symptoms and experienced their infants as more reinforcing following 12 weeks of treatment than did the depressed women in the waitlist control group (WLCG) (n = 14). Mothers in the M-ITG group also were rated as exhibiting significantly more positive affective involvement and communication in interactions with their infants following treatment than did mothers in the WLCG. The M-ITG model is described, and the implications of utilizing a mother-infant treatment approach for postpartum depression that focuses on the relationships as well as the mother's depressive symptoms is discussed. The importance of further examining the efficacy of the M-ITG model for women with postpartum depression and their families in a large-scale, randomized clinical trial is underscored.