Be a Mom Coping with Depression: Development, feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a blended intervention for postpartum depression in Portuguese women ; Be a Mom Coping with Depression: Desenvolvimento, viabilidade e eficácia preliminar de uma intervenção combinada para a depressão pós-parto em mulheres portuguesas

Tese de Doutoramento em Psicologia apresentada à Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação ; Background Postpartum depression (PPD) is a prevalent condition that negatively impacts not only the woman but also the infant, the family environment and the society. Additionally, women face several structural, attitudinal and knowledge-related barriers that hinder their access to adequate treatment. Thus, it is paramount to make available evidence-based interventions for PPD using delivery formats that can facilitate the help-seeking process. Blended interventions combine face-to-face treatment with e-health tools, benefiting from the advantages of both components. Thus, a blended intervention for PPD can increase treatment’s flexibility and accessibility, as women could access contents and practice therapeutic strategies autonomously. On the other hand, a psychologist can provide individual support and tailored feedback, adapting the intervention to women’s needs. The literature on blended treatment is still scarce, and this intervention format has not been investigated for PPD. Thus, the main objectives of this research project were: 1) to understand postpartum women’s emotional experience associated with depressive symptoms and their attitudes towards blended interventions; and 2) to develop and evaluate a blended intervention for the treatment of PPD – Be a Mom Coping with Depression. Methods This research work comprised two phases and included five empirical studies. In Phase I, a cross sectional study was conducted to understand the heterogeneity of PPD characteristics and to explore acceptability and preferences concerning blended psychological interventions, among a sample of postpartum women presenting clinically relevant depressive symptoms (487 and 235 participants, respectively). In Phase II, all studies followed a longitudinal design and aimed to evaluate Be a Mom Coping with Depression, consisting of: 1) a case study to describe the application of the blended intervention; 2) a study to assess ...