Effectiveness of Psycho Education Treatment for Reduction of Postpartum Depression: A Systematic Review

Backgroud: Postpartum depression is one of the emotional disorders that results from the failure of the psychological process of postpartum adaptation. Postpartum depression endangers maternal health and affects social relationships, and negatively impacts the development of the baby. If left untreated adequately, postpartum depression may cause more serious psychiatric disorders, such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and even a thought of killing own infants. Previous primary studies reported that therapeutic interventions such as Psycho education can reduce postpartum depressive symptoms. This study aimed to review systematically the effectiveness of Psycho education treatment for reduction of postpartum depression. Subjects and Method: A systematic review was carried out with PRISMA model. This systematic review was conducted by searching published articles from 2013 to 2019 from EBSCO database. The inclusion criteria were mothers with postpartum depression, aged 20 to 45 years, and Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT). Depression was measured by Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)-II. Exclusion criteria were journal older than 2013, mothers with acute psychosis, and a lifetime history of depression. The dependent variable was postpartum depression. The independent variable was Psycho education treatment using telephone or internet media. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, screening of titles and abstracts resulted in 5 articles. Results: Psycho education treatment took various forms, including (1) Telephone-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; (2) The MOM (Managing Our Mood) therapy; (3) Telephone-Based Support; and (4) Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Mothers under study were satisfied with the intervention, suggesting positive effect of the intervention. The treatment was accessible and effective to reduce mild to moderate postpartum depression. However, its application was limited as it was dependent upon access and signal of internet connection. Conclusion: Psycho education treatment using telephone or internet media suggest its effectiveness to reduce mild to moderate postpartum depression. However, its application is limited.