Nurse-led Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) for Perinatal Women With Depression and Anxiety

Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide and disproportionately affects women during the perinatal period. Although Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) is supported as an effective treatment, access to IPT in routine care remains limited.

This project implemented a nurse-led virtual IPT intervention and compared outcomes between group and individual formats to evaluate the feasibility of this intervention for improving care quality.

This quality improvement project was conducted at the Maternal Outpatient Mental Health Services (MOMS) Clinic in Los Angeles, California. Eighteen perinatal women experiencing depressive and/or anxiety symptoms elected to participate in either virtual group or individual IPT sessions over nine weeks, with an optional in-person final group session. Outcome measures included the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and Duke-UNC Functional Social Support Questionnaire (FSSQ). Statistical analyses included paired and independent t-tests and correlation analyses.

Both group and individual IPT formats demonstrated significant improvements in depressive and anxiety symptoms. Across the sample, BDI-II scores decreased by an average of 10.2 points and GAD-7 scores by 5.9 points. Perceived social support improved in both groups, with slightly higher gains in the individual IPT group, although differences between formats were not statistically significant. Qualitative feedback reflected high satisfaction, emotional support, and strengthened interpersonal relationships.

Nurse-led virtual IPT, offered in either group or individual formats, is feasible for improving depression and anxiety care quality among perinatal women. These findings support incorporating nurse-led IPT into perinatal care and highlight the utility of virtual models to expand care access.