Preventive Factors of Postpartum Depression in Adult Mothers: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract Background: Postpartum Depression (PPD) is defined as major depressive disorder with peripartum onset. It is the most common mental illness that occurs after childbirth, affecting not only mother but also newborn. Considering the great impact PPD has, it is relevant to investigate the effectiveness of preventive interventions.Objective: This review investigates published literature of the last decade (2009-2019) regarding the topic of preventive factors of PPD in adult mothers.Methods: An electronic search was conducted by using PubMed, psycINFO and Google Scholar. The search term included a combination of postpartum depression, postnatal depression, predictor, prevention and risk factor. Inclusion criteria were: 1) randomized controlled trials (RCT) published in English or German language that deal with 2) adult pregnant or adult mothers (>18 years). Extraction of articles by two independent raters using predefined data fields, including study quality indicators.Results: The electronic search resulted in a total of 905 articles, whereby only 22 articles were relevant for this synthesis. The interventions were divided into five major topics, these being psychological, psychosocial, nutritional, medical, and exercise interventions. Significant preventive effects concerning PPD in adult mothers were found in psychological and psychosocial interventions. Nutritional, medical and exercise interventions did not have a significant preventive impact.Conclusion: Psychological and psychosocial interventions seem to be effective in the prevention of PPD. Consequently, preventive programs should include such components. Implications for future research might include the comparison of already existing prevention programs for PPD and the observation of their long-term effects.