Virtual Reality-enhanced Psychotherapy for Perinatal Depression

N/ANot Yet RecruitingNCT07279311

Stanford University44 enrolled

Overview

Perinatal depression is a growing public health crisis in the United States, affecting one in five individuals during pregnancy or postpartum. Mental health conditions contribute to 23% of maternal deaths, underscoring the urgent need for innovative interventions. Obstetric patients who experience complications requiring prolonged hospitalization are particularly vulnerable to mental health deterioration. Virtual reality (VR) has shown promise for expanding access, reducing barriers, and enhancing first-line depression treatment when paired with evidence-based psychotherapies such as behavioral activation (BA). However, traditional BA is not feasible for inpatients, as their hospitalization prevents participation in conventional in-person, mood-boosting activities; VR-enhanced BA (VR-BA) presents a novel opportunity to address this gap. The goal of the study is to compare a 3-week VR-BA protocol to standard therapy (social work consultation) for hospitalized pregnant individuals with depressive symptoms. The objectives are to assess 1) whether VR-BA is acceptable, tolerable, and feasible in this population and 2) whether it leads to greater reductions in depressive symptoms compared to standard therapy.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Depression During Pregnancy

Eligibility

Sex: FEMALEMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients admitted to Stanford Children's Hospital antepartum unit for obstetric indications that are likely to warrant \>3 weeks of hospitalization (such as vasa previa, preterm premature rupture of membranes, severe preeclampsia). * Able to read and write in English or Spanish * Baseline EPDS score on admission \>=10 on routine screening * Admitted \>24 hours prior to enrollment Exclusion Criteria: * Patients with serious neuropsychiatric illness (bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, epilepsy, or suicidal ideation) * Known delivery planned within the next 3 weeks

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Depressive symptoms scale score using Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)

Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores will be compared at the end of the 3 week intervention between groups. The EPDS is a 10-item questionnaire, with total score 0-30. Higher scores are consistent with greater levels of depressive symptoms.

Time frame: At enrollment, then weekly up to a total of 3 weeks

Secondary Outcomes

Feasibility - dropout rate

Number of participants who withdraw from the study (after enrollment) divided by total enrollment number