None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Depressed new fathers rarely access traditional support services and their symptoms go largely unacknowledged and untreated. We aim to evaluate the efficacy, in a randomised controlled trial, of a new online treatment for postnatal depression in men ('DadBooster'). DadBooster is a 6-session only treatment program for paternal postnatal depression that was co-designed with fathers. Previous research confirms that symptoms of depression can be reduced through internet interventions, but no research has examined the efficacy of such interventions specifically for the treatment of depression in fathers with a new baby. We aim to test whether the newly developed DadBooster online program is effective in reducing the severity of symptoms of depression and anxiety compared to standard care. We hypothesise a reduction in depression symptom severity of >50%. Fifty depressed fathers will participate, with 25 randomly allocated to receive the DadBooster program immediately and 25 allocated to a waitlist control condition, receiving standard care and being offered DadBooster at the end of the study. The primary outcomes are depression symptom severity and remission from a diagnosed depressive episode at 12-weeks post-enrolment.
Interventions
DadBooster Internet-based treatment: Participants allocated to the intervention will receive the DadBooster Internet-based treatment program. This is an interactive online cognitive-behavioural therapy program developed to treat paternal postnatal depression. It consists of 6 online sessions to be completed one per week (over 6-9 weeks). Each session takes approximately 30 minutes to work through. The program also includes additional content in the form of eight information articles that can be
DadBooster Internet-based treatment: Participants allocated to the intervention will receive the DadBooster Internet-based treatment program. This is an interactive online cognitive-behavioural therapy program developed to treat paternal postnatal depression. It consists of 6 online sessions to be completed one per week (over 6-9 weeks). Each session takes approximately 30 minutes to work through. The program also includes additional content in the form of eight information articles that can be accessed at any time, at the participant's own discretion. The articles cover the following topics: the couple relationship, communication skills, sleep and caring for baby, sensing baby's needs, managing time, managing stress, getting support, and problem solving (each around 5-10 minutes to read). The program includes a Partner Support Website that participants can invite their partners to access. Partners can access this at their own discretion. The Partner Support Website contains information for partners on paternal postnatal depression and caring for oneself and baby. The information is presented in the form of text and images and can be read in 10-20 minutes. Participants allocated to the intervention will also receive regular SMS messages to encourage and motivate them to continue using the program (11 messages in total over 6 weeks, approximately 2 per week). A letter will be sent to each participant's GP informing the GP of their participation in the study and diagnosis. Website analytic tools and database flags will allow collection of program usage data in an unobtrusive manner, generating records of number and duration of visits to the program website and number of program sessions completed.
Sponsors
Professor Jeannette Milgrom
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
Male
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Diagnosis of current major or minor depressive episode; 6 weeks to 1 year postpartum; a Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score > 9; ability to understand English; familiarity with the Internet and e-mail; home Internet access; able/willing to give informed consent
Exclusion criteria
Current substance use disorder; bipolar disorder; psychotic disorder; current moderate to high risk of suicide; current treatment for depression (medication or psychotherapy); or symptoms of PTSD.
Outcome results
None listed