Programme For The Effective Promotion Of Maternal Psychosocial WELLbeing (PREPWELL) Intervention Development Study

November 02, 2020 | News | Reading time: 3 min

Study Team

University of Ghana:
Dr. Benedict Weobong (PI), Professor Philip Adongo; Professor Angela Ofori-Ata; Professor Joseph Osafo

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine: Professor Betty Kirkwood

Kintampo Health Research Centre: Solomon Nyame, Anita Boahen, Kenneth A. Ae-Ngibise and Dr. Kwaku Poku Asante

Study Background Data available suggest that the burden of perinatal depression in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) (11.3% during pregnancy and 18.3% after birth) is higher than in developed countries (10.2% during pregnancy and 12.9% after birth). The consequences are well documented, and evidence generated from a cohort study led by the PI in Ghana, suggests an association between perinatal depression and infant morbidity and mortality. Surprisingly, whilst the evidence for the effectiveness of targeted psychological interventions for perinatal depression has been established, there still remains a vast treatment gap in LMICs.

Approach:three innovations characterize the PREPWELL approach:
1) from a preventative stance, PREPWELL will be delivered to all women from pregnancy through the first three months after delivery, and not just women suffering from depression or psychological distress.
2) PREPWELL is being designed to minimise the need for face-to-face contact by including innovative use of digital health platforms, and a guided self-help component to build psychological skills of mothers to manage problematic situations in the best possible way.
3) involve for the first time, a critical but largely untapped nurse-led home-based primary care initiative (CHPS) for the delivery of mental health interventions.

Timelines: 24 Months