Effectiveness and acceptability of cognitive–behavioural therapy based interventions for maternal peripartum depression: a systematic review, meta-analysis and thematic synthesis protocol

INTRODUCTION: Peripartum depression is a common mental health difficulty associated with a range of negative impacts for the mother, infant and wider family. This review will examine the effectiveness of cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) based interventions for peripartum depression. Secondary aims are to explore the effect of CBT-based interventions targeted at peripartum depression on novel secondary outcomes and moderators potentially associated with effectiveness. To date, there has been little examination of effect on important secondary outcomes (eg, anxiety, stress and parenting), nor clinical and methodological moderators. Further, this review aims to explore the acceptability of CBT-based interventions for women with peripartum depression and examine important adaptations for this population. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Electronic databases (e.g., MEDLINE; ISI Web of Science; CINAHL; CENTRAL; Prospero; EMBASE; ASSIA; PsychINFO; SCOPUS; And Swemed+) will be systematically searched. Database searches will be supplemented by expert contact, reference and citation checking, and grey literature. Primary outcomes of interest will be validated measures of symptoms of depression. A proposed meta-analysis will examine: (1) the overall effectiveness of psychological interventions in improving symptoms of depression (both self-reported and diagnosed major depression) in the peripartum period; (2) the impact of interventions on secondary outcomes (eg, anxiety, stress and parenting); (3) clinical and methodological moderators associated with effectiveness. A thematic synthesis will be conducted on qualitative data exploring the acceptability of CBT-based intervention for postpartum depression including participants’ experience and perspectives of the interventions, satisfaction, barriers and facilitators to intervention use, intervention relevance to mothers’ situations and suggestions for improvements to tailor interventions to the peripartum client group. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Formal ethical approval is not required by the National Ethical Review Board in Sweden as primary data will not be collected. The results will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication and inform the development of a new psychological intervention for peripartum depression. This study including protocol development will run from March 2019 to March 2020.