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Women's Issues

Digital mental health program for anxiety and depressive symptoms in pregnant woman : preliminary results of an ongoing pilot and feasibility study

(PS10-96) Digital Mental Health Program for Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms in Pregnant Woman : Preliminary Results of an Ongoing Pilot and Feasibility Study

Saturday, November 16, 2024
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EST
Location: Franklin Hall, Level 4, Marriott Downtown
Abstract Text: Introduction: One in ten women will develop anxiety and depressive symptoms during the antenatal period. While there are well-known barriers related to mental health care access, digital mental health interventions may represent a cost-effective and flexible complement to mental health services. We adapted the Australian THIS WAY UP online program for anxiety and depressive symptoms during pregnancy for the French-Canadian context. It comprises three pregnancy-focused illustrated lessons and complementary material for a step-by-step guidance to learn and apply cognitive and behavioral strategies. The program is to be completed over a four-week period with a seven-day lock-out between lessons. 

Methods:  A pilot and feasibility study using the adaptation in an unguided format is ongoing, and recruitment will end on April 30th 2024. Pregnant women with anxiety or depressive symptoms are recruited through advertisements on Facebook in the province of Quebec, Canada. After completing the eligibility and baseline measurements, women are randomized to the intervention group (hereafter, iCBT) or the wait-list control group (WL). Participants are automatically informed of their assignments, and the iCBT group receives instructions on how to begin their program. Parameters related to recruitment, randomization process, response rate, engagement with the intervention, and satisfaction are evaluated, as well as the impact on anxiety and depressive symptoms, and quality of life. The latter clinical outcomes are measured at baseline, posttreatment, and 1-month follow-up, and psychological distress (K10) is tracked at the beginning of each lesson. Only descriptive analysis will be conducted as this is a pilot study. Progress and preliminary results: To this date, 100 women have visited the electronic data collection platform to begin the recruitment process, and 37 have been randomized (18 iCBT, 19 WL). In the iCBT group, six have not yet started the program, and 4 finished the intervention. Participants are mostly with a college education level, white, aged between 30 and 39, working full-time, and self-report not having a diagnosis of anxiety or depressive disorder. At baseline, generally, women have mild to moderate anxiety and/or depressive symptoms. Changes made to the initial protocol include reminders by the research team to log in to the platform hosting the program, expansion of the recruitment territory to meet the recruitment goals, and reducing of the anxiety and depression symptoms levels in the inclusion criteria. Significance/Relevance: This pilot and feasibility study will give methodological insights for a definitive RCT on a French-Canadian iCBT program for anxiety and depressive symptoms during pregnancy and changes to be made to the intervention. Although digital intervention formats are promising, rigorous studies with appropriate study designs are needed to determine their effectiveness and feasible strategies to promote engagement.
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