A Systematic Review of Interventions for Perinatal Suicidal Behaviour in Women

Suicidal behaviour is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality for women during the perinatal period, yet a synthesis of evidence on interventions is lacking.

This review sets out to answer two questions: (i) what interventions have been conducted to reduce suicidal behaviour in women during the perinatal period? (ii) what interventions for perinatal suicidal behaviour are perceived as effective, acceptable and feasible by perinatal women?

This systematic review followed the Preferred Standards for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA), and the review protocol was prospectively registered with PROSPERO (CRD42024524681). Six databases were searched from their respective inception dates until April 2, 2024. The search string comprised keywords relating to the perinatal period, intervention approaches and suicide.

The searches yielded five eligible studies. The eligible studies used a variety of designs, including one non-randomised controlled trial, two cross-sectional studies and one cohort study and one case series.

The results of this systematic review indicate that research is urgently needed using more robust approaches and consistent, validated measures of suicidal behaviour, both at baseline and follow-up.

This review has scope for informing future interventions with women at risk of or experiencing suicidal behaviour and highlights the importance of a whole family, trauma-informed, integrated model of care approach to perinatal suicidal behaviour interventions.