Effectiveness of an app-based cognitive behavioral therapy program for postpartum depression in primary care: A randomized controlled trial

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the effect of mobile phone applications (App) based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on postpartum depression. Method: A non-blinded parallel-group randomized controlled trial was conducted. The study population consisted of women attended to three health care centers in Kerman, Iran. Participants were recruited between September and November 2018, and randomized 1:1 to either the intervention group (mobile application access) or control group (no mobile application access). All participants completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) at the baseline and 2 months after baseline. Data were analyzed using inferential statistics including chi-square, independent sample t-test, paired t-test and linear regression. Results: A total of 75 women with an average age of 27 years participated in this study. Before the intervention, there was no statistically significant difference between the EPDS score between the two groups (p > 0.001). However, in the intervention group, the average EPDS score after intervention was 8.18 and in the control group was 15.05, which was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Conclusion: These findings provide proof that providing a CBT program using a mobile application can lead to clinically important improvements in outcomes for mothers who suffer from postpartum depression.