Effectiveness of brief transdiagnostic cognitive behavioural group therapy for mild depression, anxiety, and stress in fathers : a pilot study

Abstract

Background: Mental health of both the father and the mother is important for the psychological development and adjustment of infants. Postpartum depression has mainly been linked to women although studies show that as many as 25% of new fathers may experience postpartum depression as well, and 4.1% may experience anxiety. Aims: The purpose of the pilot study is to evaluate a brief transdiagnostic cognitive behavioural group therapy (TCBGT) especially designed to reduce symptoms of mild depression, anxiety, and stress for fathers and compare the outcome across different symptoms. Method: In total, 17 participants signed up for the study; of them, ten underwent a three-week, five-session, TCBGT. A repeated measure ANOVA was used to evaluate the effect of the treatment. Results: The TCBGT resulted in significant improvement on measures of symptoms of stress following the TCBGT program (p<0.05). Conclusions: Results indicate the effect of TCBGT particularly stress symptoms in fathers during the postpartum period. The treatment was considered to be effective. Further studies should include a larger sample size and control groups to evaluate the treatment efficacy.