Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Impact of a preventive intervention for perinatal depression on mood regulation, social support, and coping

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Archives of Women's Mental Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Perinatal depression prevention trials have rarely examined proximal outcomes that may be relevant for understanding long-term risk for depression. The Mothers and Babies (MB) Course is a cognitive-behavioral depression prevention intervention, which has been shown to prevent depressive symptoms among at-risk perinatal women of color. This study examined intervention impact on three proximal outcomes that are theoretically linked with the intervention’s model of change and have been empirically linked with risk for depression: mood regulation expectancies, perceived social support, and coping. The study used data from a randomized intervention trial of the MB Course with 78 low-income, predominantly African-American perinatal women enrolled at one of four home visitation programs in Baltimore City. Mood regulation expectancies, perceived social support, and coping were assessed with self-report instruments at baseline, post-intervention, and 3- and 6-month follow-ups. The intervention group experienced 16 % greater growth in mood regulation from baseline to 6-month follow-up compared to the usual care group, suggesting a prevention effect. The pattern of findings was similar, although not statistically significant, for social support. Contrary to prediction, the control group experienced less growth in avoidant coping than the intervention group. Findings indicate the MB Course enhances mood regulation, which may facilitate prevention of depression over time. Assessment of intervention effects on proximal outcomes is beneficial for understanding how interventions may enhance protective factors relevant to successful long-term outcomes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Blaney NT, Fernandez MI, Ethier KA, Wilson TE, Walter E, Koenig LJ, Perinatal Guidelines Evaluation Project Group (2004) Psychosocial and behavioral correlates of depression among HIV-infected pregnant women. AIDS Patient Care 18:405–415

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brugha TS, Morrell CJ, Slade P, Walters SJ (2011) Universal prevention of depression in women postnatally; cluster randomized trial evidence in primary care. Psychol Med 41:739–748

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carver CS (1997) You want to measure coping but your protocol’s too long: consider the brief COPE. Int J Behav Med 4:92–100

    Google Scholar 

  • Catanzaro SJ (1993) Mood regulation expectancies, anxiety sensitivity, and emotional distress. J Abnorm Psychol 102:327–330

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Catanzaro SJ, Mearns J (1990) Measuring generalized expectancies for negative mood regulation: initial scale development and implications. J Pers Assess 54:546–563

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Catanzaro SJ, Wasch HH, Kirsch I, Mearns J (2000) Coping-related expectancies and dispositions as prospective predictors of coping responses and symptoms. J Per 68:757–788

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen S, Hoberman HM (1983) Positive events and social supports as buffers of life change stress. J Appl Soc Psychol 13:99–125

    Google Scholar 

  • Coyne JC, Downey G (1991) Social factors and psychopathology: stress, social support, and coping processes. Annu Rev Psychol 42:401–425

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Crockett K, Zlotnick C, Davis M, Payne N, Washington R (2008) A depression preventive intervention for rural low-income African-American pregnant women at risk for postpartum depression. Arch Womens Ment Health 11:319–325

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dennis CL, Hodnett E, Reisman HM, Kenton L, Weston J, Zupancic J, Stewart DE, Kiss A (2009) Effect of peer support on prevention of postnatal depression among high risk women: multisite randomized controlled trial. BMJ 338:a3064. doi:10.1136/bmj.a3064

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • de Tychey C, Spitz E, Briançon S, Lighezzolo J, Girvan F, Rosati A, Thockler A, Vincent S (2005) Pre- and postnatal depression and coping: a comparative approach. J Affect Disord 85:323–326

    Google Scholar 

  • Drwal J (2008) The relationship of negative mood regulation expectancies with rumination and distraction. Psychol Rep 102:709–717

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Edge D, Rogers A (2005) Dealing with it: Black Caribbean women’s response to adversity and psychological distress associated with pregnancy, childbirth, and early motherhood. Soc Sci Med 61:15–25

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Elliott SA, Leverton TJ, Sanjack M, Turner H, Cowmeadow P, Hopkins J, Bushnell D (2000) Promoting mental health after childbirth: a controlled trial of primary prevention of postnatal depression. Br J Clin Psychol 39:223–241

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Garber J (2006) Depression in children and adolescents: linking risk research and prevention. Am J Prev Med 31:S104–S125

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ialongo NS, Rogosch FA, Cicchetti D, Toth SL, Buckley J, Petras H, Neiderhiser J (2006) A developmental psychopathology approach to the prevention of mental health disorders. In: Cicchietti D, Cohen DJ (eds) Developmental psychopathology, vol.1: Theory and method, 2nd edn. Wiley, New Jersey, pp 968–1018

    Google Scholar 

  • Kassel JD, Bornovalova M, Mehta N (2007) Generalized expectancies for negative mood regulation predict change in anxiety and depression among college students. Behav Res Ther 45:939–950

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kirsch I (1985) Response expectancy as a determinant of experience and behavior. Am Psychol 40:1189–1202

    Google Scholar 

  • Lazarus RS (1966) Psychological stress and the coping process. McGraw-Hill, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Lazarus RS, Folkman S (1984) Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Le HN, Muñoz RF (1998) The Maternal Mood Screener (MMS). Unpublished questionnaire, University of California, San Francisco

  • Le HN, Perry DF, Stuart EA (2011) Randomized controlled trial of a preventive intervention for perinatal depression in high-risk Latinas. J Consult Clin Psychol 79:135–141

    Google Scholar 

  • Littleton H, Horsley S, John S, Nelson DV (2007) Trauma coping strategies and psychological distress: a meta-analysis. J Traum Stress 20:977–988

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moskowitz JT, Hult JR, Bussolari C, Acree M (2009) What works in coping with HIV? A meta-analysis with implications for coping with serious illness. Psych Bull 135:121–141

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muñoz RF, Beardslee WR, Leykin Y (2012) Major depression can be prevented. Am Psychol 67:285–295

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Radloff LS (1977) The CES-D Scale: a self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Appl Psych Meas 1:385–401

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheng X, Le HN, Perry D (2010) Perceived satisfaction with social support and depressive symptoms in perinatal Latinas. J Transcult Nurs 21:35–44

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • StataCorp (2009) Stata Statistical Software: Release 11. College Station, TX, StataCorp LP

  • Sutton JM (2007) Prevention of depression in youth: a qualitative review and future suggestions. Clin Psychol Rev 27:552–571

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tandon SD, Perry DF, Mendelson T, Kemp K, Leis JA (2011) Preventing perinatal depression in low-income home visiting clients: a randomized controlled trial. J Consult Clin Psych 79:707–712

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xie RH, He G, Koszycki D, Walker M, Wen SW (2009) Prenatal social support, postnatal social support, and postpartum depression. Ann Epidemiol 19:637–643

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zlotnick C, Miller IW, Pearlstein T, Howard M, Sweeney P (2006) A preventive intervention for pregnant women on public assistance at risk for postpartum depression. Am J Psychiat 163:1443–1445

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The study was funded by the Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (1U54RR023561-01A1) and The Abell Foundation. We gratefully acknowledge Karen Edwards for her assistance with recruitment, assessments, and other aspects of the study. We would also like to thank the four home visiting programs and their program participants for their strong support of this project.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tamar Mendelson.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mendelson, T., Leis, J.A., Perry, D.F. et al. Impact of a preventive intervention for perinatal depression on mood regulation, social support, and coping. Arch Womens Ment Health 16, 211–218 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-013-0332-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-013-0332-4

Keywords

Navigation