Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Apr;43(4):275-282.
doi: 10.1055/s-0041-1728780. Epub 2021 May 12.

The Effect of Dialectic Behavioral Counseling on Depression, Anxiety, and Postpartum Hematocrit Level

Nasrin Pour Amiri  1 , Atefeh Ahmadi  1 , Firoozeh Mirzaee  1 , Moghadameh Mirzai  1 , Nader Shahrokhi  1
Affiliations

The Effect of Dialectic Behavioral Counseling on Depression, Anxiety, and Postpartum Hematocrit Level

Nasrin Pour Amiri et al. Rev Bras Ginecol Obstet. 2021 Apr.

Abstract

Objective: Childbirth is a biological, psychological, and sociological event that can be a positive or negative experience, and, without support, this period may be potentially damaging. Parturition may distort maternal emotions and lead to short- or long-term disorders such as postpartum depression and anxiety. The present research aims to study the effects of dialectic behavioral therapy-based counseling on depression, anxiety symptoms, and postpartum hematocrit level.

Methods: The current research is a clinical trial study, and the sample was selected using parturients who were referred to the Health General Center with a diagnosis of postpartum depression and anxiety. The sample size consisted of 116 subjects who agreed to participate in the study. The patients in intervention group underwent group dialectic behavioral counseling (10 sessions/one session per week) and the control group did not receive any type of intervention. The patients were assessed in the first and last sessions as well as 2 months after the end of the sessions, using the Beck depression scale and Spielberg anxiety scale as well as the results of hematocrit tests. Data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 21.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) RESULTS: The results implied the effectiveness of dialectic behavioral therapy on reduction of the depression score, anxiety symptoms (p-value ≤ 0.0001), and hematocrit level (p-value = 0.04). The participants' depression, anxiety, and hematocrit levels decreased in the experiment group compared to the control group, and this decrease has remained until the 2-month follow-up.

Conclusion: It seems that dialectic behavioral counseling reduces the levels of postpartum depression, anxiety, and hematocrits.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflict of interests to declare.

References

    1. Foruzande N, Dasht Bozorgi B.[Prevalence and predisposing factors of post-partum depression among women referred to the health care centers of Shahrekord, 1996] Shahrekord Univ Med Sci J 200020143–51.Persian.
    1. Akbarzadeh M, Sharif F, Zare N, Ghodrati F.[Prevalence of symptoms post-partum anxiety and baby blues and factors effective uponit in women with high risk pregnancies] J Fam Res 200951757–71.Persian.
    1. Miller M L, Kroska E B, Grekin R. Immediate postpartum mood assessment and postpartum depressive symptoms. J Affect Disord. 2017;207:69–75. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2016.09.023. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Azimiloati H, Danesh M, Hoseini S, Khalilian A, Zarghami M.[Postpartum depression in women referred to Sari health center] Andishe Va Rafter 20051131–42.Persian.
    1. Rouhe H, Salmela-Aro K, Toivanen R, Tokola M, Halmesmäki E, Ryding E L. Group psychoeducation with relaxation for severe fear of childbirth improves maternal adjustment and childbirth experience--a randomised controlled trial. J Psychosom Obstet Gynaecol. 2015;36(01):1–9. doi: 10.3109/0167482X.2014.980722. - DOI - PubMed