Responsive e-Health Intervention for Perinatal Depression in Healthcare Settings

Perinatal depression (experienced by at least 14-20% of pregnant and postpartum women) is recognized as the most common complication of childbirth and as having extremely serious consequences, including significant suffering for pregnant women/new mothers and their families, and adverse impacts on infant development. Unfortunately, there are many barriers that make it difficult for women with perinatal depression to access clinic-based mental health treatments, and participation is low. Treatment uptake is limited by psychological barriers (stigma, feelings of failure, and embarrassment); knowledge barriers (poor understanding about impact of perinatal depression on infant health, uncertainty about where to get treatment); infrastructure barriers (fear of negative judgment from care providers, avoidance of prescription medications while breastfeeding); physical barriers in rural settings (too few care providers, unacceptable logistical demands on time, transportation, and childcare); and provider-level barriers (inadequate skills, fear of liability, dearth of treatment options, and inadequate reimbursement). To address this need, investigators obtained funding (National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01MH084931) to develop and test the MomMoodBooster program (MMB), an innovative Web-based program for treating postpartum depression (PPD). Based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and incorporating multimedia modeling and engaging activities, MMB is designed to enable women to identify patterns in their thoughts and behaviors and to develop a personal action plan to make helpful changes. MMB also has an administrative website designed for use by both project managers and supportive phone coaches to monitor the overall progress of participants. In our Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant (R43MH109191), the investigators began a redesign of MMB so that it could be used more effectively as a product for delivering PPD treatment by practical healthcare delivery organizations. Specifically, the investigators enhanced the underlying database architecture (and the related administration website interface) to make it easier for multiple organizations in multiple settings to use MMB. In our proposed SBIR Phase II, the investigators propose to complete the process of making a commercial-ready product (MMB 2.0) that fits the workflow and staffing of healthcare organizations. Specifically, the investigators propose to finish the enhancement of the database architecture and its administrative site, to expand MMB to include prenatal as well as postpartum depressed women, and to deliver MMB using a new responsive design technology so that women will be able to use it interchangeably with any internet-accessible computer device (desktop, laptop, tablet, smart-phone). Finally, the investigators plan to use a 2-arm randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of MMB 2.0 compared to treatment as usual in a large healthcare setting.