The childbirth process is associated with increased risk of having depression and persistent pain which may have adverse effects to mothers and their babies. There is a lack of routine effective programs in current healthcare practice to address, risk stratify and reduce depression and persistent pain after childbirth. The study site proposes a Collaborative Psychological Model (CPM) consisting of music listening, customized mobile application on psychological strategies, telephone-based support, with monitoring (mobile electronic surveys, wearable-based vital sign monitoring) to effectively prevent, detect, monitor, and treat depression and persistent pain after childbirth. The study will determine if using the CPM will reduce the risk of having depression associated with childbirth. The study will also find out whether the CPM will reduce the depressive symptoms in women who undergo labor that may have increased depression risk. This clinical study will involve 2042 women undergoing childbirth at KK Hospital. In addition, up to 1428 patients' partners (fathers) will also be recruited for the week 8 postpartum assessment. The study findings will improve healthcare for women in the community by incorporating digital psychological strategies to manage depression and persistent pain after childbirth. The CPM will also guide future directions to customize an individual's healthcare needs and to improve transition from hospital to community care for women after childbirth.
Postnatal depression (PND) represents a substantial burden, contributing to adverse outcomes for mothers, their infants, and families. The global incidence of PND has been reported to be about 17%, with Southeast Asia countries having a pooled incidence of 22%. Established risk factors include the severity of pain experienced during childbirth, analgesic techniques employed, and underlying psychological vulnerabilities. Cesarean delivery, especially emergency Cesarean delivery, has been associated with an increased risk of PND. Childbirth often results in substantial tissue trauma, which may lead to persistent postpartum pain (PPP) that affects up to 20% of women globally. Both PND and PPP could contribute to a significant socioeconomic burden and diminished quality of life. Non-pharmacological interventions have demonstrated effectiveness in reducing depression and pain in postpartum women, as well as in populations with depression, and chronic pain. However, it remains uncertain whether delivering these interventions as part of a structured Collaborative Psychological Model (CPM) can effectively reduce the incidence of both PND and PPP. Currently, there is a lack of standardized and effective programs, with high risk PND stratification, addressing these outcomes in routine clinical care. The proposed CPM in this study addresses these gaps through electronic surveys and mobile apps that enable mothers to manage their mental health without reliance on pharmacological therapy in a comfortable and private manner. By integrating multiple evidence-based interventions into a single program, we aim to leverage upon their individual efficacies and achieve a synergistic effect to improve outcomes related to PND and PPP.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
3,470
Participants assigned to the interventional arm will receive the following psychological therapies: 1. Participants will be provided with a 2-month Spotify subscription for music listening for at least 30 minutes daily until week 8 postpartum follow-up survey. Data on the duration of music listening, preferred genres, and patient satisfaction will be collected at week 8 postpartum. 2. A customized mobile app incorporating artificial-intelligence-powered chatbot for personalized support, in-app guidance on mindfulness exercises, coping strategies with pain and mood, and educational resources will be provided to patients for use from after delivery till week 8 postpartum. 3. Telephone-based support session by a team of assigned research coordinators will be offered for all patients with high risk of postnatal depression; or patients with low risk of postnatal depression and having Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) ≥ 10, throughout the fortnightly EPDS monitoring.
Patients will receive a wearable device to monitor heart rate variability, sleep patterns, activity metrics (steps, distance, calories) from delivery until week 8 postpartum. Questionnaires on psychological and pain assessments will be administered before and after delivery, with the final time point being week 8 postpartum.
Telephone-based support will be offered if patient is found to have Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) equal to or more than 10.
The incidence of postnatal depression in both groups
Incidence of postnatal depression will be assessed via Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score at week 8 postpartum. EPDS is a 10-item self reporting scale to evaluate the postnatal depression. Participants are asked to respond according to how they have felt in the past seven days. Each item is measured on a 4-point scale (0-3), with a total score in the range of 0 to 30. A higher total score indicates a greater degree of depressive symptoms. A score of 10 and above indicates clinically significant depressive symptoms.
Time frame: 8 weeks after delivery (2 months)
The incidence of persistent postpartum pain (PPP) in both groups
The incidence of PPP is defined as the presence of pain for 8 weeks at the perineal, surgical scar or abdominal region related to childbirth at week 8 postpartum.
Time frame: 8 weeks after delivery (2 months)
Breastfeeding self-efficacy in both groups
The breastfeeding self-efficacy will be assessed by breastfeeding self-efficacy scale- short form (BSES-SF). Breastfeeding self-efficacy refers to a mother's confidence and perception of how well she can breastfeed her infant. The 14-item self-administered BSES-SF comes in a 5-point Likert-type scale where 1 indicates not at all confident and 5 indicates always confident. Scores are summed to produce a range from 14 to 70, with higher scores indicating higher levels of breastfeeding self-efficacy.
Time frame: 8 weeks after delivery (2 months)
Postpartum bonding in both groups
The postpartum bonding will be assessed by Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ). It consists of 25 items on four sub scales: i) impaired bonding; ii) rejection and anger; iii) anxiety about care; and iv) risk of abuse. The items are based on Likert scale ranging from 0 (always) to 5 (never), with a total score ranging from 0 to 125 where lower PBQ scores are associated with better mother-child bonding.
Time frame: 8 weeks after delivery (2 months)
Health status in both groups
Health status will be assessed via EQ-5D-5L, a standardized instrument for measuring generic health status. It is made up for two components; health state description and evaluation. The health status is measured in terms of five dimensions (5D); mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression; each dimension ranging from 1-5 (5L). From these five dimensions, EQ-5D index is calculated, having a value between 0-1. The evaluation part involves an analogue scale, asking to mark health status on the day of the survey on a 20 cm vertical scale with end points of 0 and 100. Zero corresponds to " worst imaginable health state", and hundred corresponds to "best imaginable health state".
Time frame: 8 weeks after delivery (2 months)
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