Public Health Nurse–Delivered 1-Day Cognitive Behavioral Therapy–Based Workshops for Treating Postpartum Depression: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Haley Layton, MPH ; Madisyn Campbell, BA ; Kathryn Huh, BHSc ; Arooba Mansoor, HBSc ; Jesus Serrano-Lomelin, PhD ; June S. L. Brown, PhD ; Peter J. Bieling, PhD ; Ryan J. Van Lieshout, MD, PhD

J Clin Psychiatry 2025;86(2):24m15712

Abstract

Objective: This pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) examined the feasibility of study procedures and acceptability of 1-day cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)–based workshops for postpartum depression (PPD) delivered by nonspecialist public health nurses (PHNs) and explored the potential effects of the intervention on PPD and anxiety to inform a future, full-scale RCT.

Methods: Birthing parents ≥18 years old with an infant <12 months old, living in Ontario, Canada, with an Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score ≥10 were recruited between March 18 and May 25, 2022, and randomly assigned to receive the 1-day CBT-based workshop plus treatment as usual (TAU; experimental group) or TAU alone (control group). Feasibility objectives (recruitment, retention, intervention attendance) were described using descriptive statistics, and treatment effects were assessed at enrollment and 3 and 9 months post-intervention.

Results: 119 participants were enrolled in under 3 months, 85% in the experimental group attended their workshop, and 84% of participants completed the study. While the study was not powered to detect differences between experimental and control groups, the experimental group reported larger reductions in depression at 3 (P = .11) and 9 months (P = .045) postworkshop. Experimental group participants also reported greater reductions in anxiety at 3 (P < .01) and 9 months (P = .14) postworkshop than control participants.

Conclusion: Recruiting and retaining participants in an RCT of PHN-delivered 1-day CBT-based workshops is feasible. Pilot results suggest that workshops may lead to improvements in PPD up to 9 months postworkshop. As this pilot study was not powered to detect differences in clinical outcomes, these findings warrant exploration in a full scale RCT.

Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05314361.

J Clin Psychiatry 2025;86(2):24m15712

Author affiliations are listed at the end of this article.

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