Online Public Health Nurse-Delivered 1-Day Cognitive Behavioural Therapy-Based Workshops for Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression (PPD) affects up to 1 in 5 mothers and is associated with costs of $150,000 per case over the lifespan. The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally altered the ways in which mothers access postpartum mental health care, with most now preferring to receive treatment online or by telephone. Under normal conditions, just 1 in 10 mothers with PPD get evidence-based treatment, a situation that has worsened substantially during COVID-19. As a result, innovative interventions capable of overcoming barriers and reaching large numbers of women safely are urgently needed to reduce the adverse effects of PPD on mothers, their families, the healthcare system, and society as a whole. The purpose of this study is to test the effectiveness of a Public Health Nurse-Delivered Online 1-Day CBT-Based Workshop for PPD. We will conduct an Ontario-wide randomized controlled trial where 406 women will be recruited to receive either the Nurse-Delivered Online Workshop plus treatment as usual from their healthcare providers (treatment group), or treatment as usual plus three online information sessions (control group). We will compare the effect of the Public Health Nurse-Delivered Online 1-Day Workshop on levels of maternal depression, anxiety, and parenting stress, their relationship with their partners and infants, as well as the behaviour of their offspring in the treatment and control groups at three, six, and twelve months. We will also assess the cost-effectiveness of the intervention. Only treatments that are safe and that can be rolled out on a large scale can have a significant impact on PPD at the population level. To achieve this, a shift is needed toward treatments that can reach large numbers of mothers safely and efficiently. Public Health Nurse-Delivered Online 1-Day CBT-Based Workshops reduce many of the barriers to treatment that currently exist, and can help women and families both in Canada and around the world during the pandemic and beyond.