Treating postpartum depression in rural veterans using internet delivered CBT: program evaluation of MomMoodBooster

Depression in the postpartum period impacts approximately 13-26% of the general population. This number can be much higher for rural veteran women who face additional barriers to accessing specialized mental health services due to isolation and cultural factors. This study reports on a program evaluation of MomMoodBooster, a coach-supported internet-delivered CBT program for the treatment of maternal depression in veteran women. Repeated measures ANOVA, run with this sample of 326 women, demonstrated an overall positive effect size across outcome measures and engagement with no differences found between rural women and their urban counterparts. Some differences between urban and rural participants were found in total and average time spent with coaches as well as ratings of coach helpfulness, possibly indicating some cultural differences between coaches and rural women that need to be addressed. These results and the results of earlier trials suggest that MomMoodBooster can be a valid and efficacious option for reaching under-served veteran populations with specialized postpartum mental health support and is as effective with rural women as with urban women.