JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Postpartum depression and anxiety are the two most common perinatal mental health disorders, with prevalence rates higher among women living in the Middle East than in most western countries. The negative outcomes associated with postpartum depression and anxiety are profound and include less responsive parenting and compromised infant and young child development. Although interventions exist to prevent postpartum depression and anxiety, to date there have been no studies that have attempted to prevent postpartum depression or anxiety among Arabic speaking women in the Middle East, including Qatar.

Objective:

To conduct a randomized controlled trial of an evidence-based postpartum depression preventive intervention--Mothers and Babies--culturally adapted for use with Arab-speaking women in Doha, Qatar.

Methods:

A multi-disciplinary and multi-ethnic investigator team adapted Mothers and Babies to promote cultural and contextual fit for Arabic-speaking women. The adapted intervention was subsequently pilot tested with 10 pregnant women receiving prenatal care at Sidra Hospital in Doha. We are now conducting a randomized controlled trial to examine the effectiveness of the adapted intervention. We plan to enroll 210 pregnant individuals who are Arabic-speaking, with 1:1 randomization to the Mothers and Babies intervention or usual prenatal care. Among the enrolled participants, a stratified sub-sample of 40 pregnant women with diabetes is being recruited. Data collection will take place at baseline and 6-month follow-up. Primary outcomes are depressive and anxiety symptoms and perceived stress. Diabetes self-care is the exploratory outcome for the diabetic sub-sample. Power and sample size were calculated using a two-sided 5% effort rate and assumed analyses on the individual level.

Results:

The cultural adaptation and pilot study of the adapted Mothers and Babies intervention are completed. 157 women have been enrolled in the randomized controlled trial as of March 31, 2023.

Conclusions:

This study is highly innovative, as it is the first study to our knowledge to examine the effectiveness of an evidence-based postpartum depression preventive intervention in the Middle East. Clinical Trial: This study was registered with clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04442529)