Brief problem-solving therapy for antenatal depressive symptoms in primary care in rural Ethiopia

Feasibility of brief problem-solving therapy for antenatal depressive symptoms in primary care in rural Ethiopia: protocol for a randomised, controlled trial

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

PACTR

Registry ID

PACTR202008712234907

Enrollment

Registered

2020-08-18

Start date

2020-10-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-08-03

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Mental and Behavioural Disorders Pregnancy and Childbirth

Interventions

Brief Problem Solving Therapy for women with antenatal depressinon

Enhanced usual care

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

Female

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: (1) endorsing elevated and disabling depression symptoms (scoring 5 or more on the locally validated Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) (45) and endorse impaired functioning on the 10th PHQ-9 item); (2) being between 12 and 34 weeks gestation; (3) aged 16 years and above, as this is the age at which married adolescent women become legally autonomous in Ethiopia; (4) are planning to live in the study area for at least six months; (5) speak Amharic (the official regional language).

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: (1) present with acute medical illness or evidence of severe mental illness; or (2) other comorbid medical conditions such as hypertension or renal disease or diabetes; (3) endorse the 9th item of the PHQ-9 indicating risk of suicide and scoring more than 17 on the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) (4) require emergency treatment; (5) have a condition that impairs their capacity to understand the interview (e.g. diagnosed with severe intellectual disability or dementia).

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
mean change in PHQ-9 score using locally validated Amharic version of the PHQ-9. PHQ-9 is a DSM based screening tool for depression that is widely used in Low and middle income countries. Its good psychometric characteristic also make most preferable in these settings.	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
functional status (Change in WHODAS score);anxiety as assessed by using GAD-7;intimate partner violence as assessed by WHO multi-country study questions ;self-reported information on delivery setting, prolonged labour, sepsis, unsafe abortion;perinatal mortality (stillbirth and neonatal mortality);time of onset of breast-feeding;child health (maternal report of diarrhoea, fever and refusal to breast feed)	—

Measure

Time frame

functional status (Change in WHODAS score);anxiety as assessed by using GAD-7;intimate partner violence as assessed by WHO multi-country study questions ;self-reported information on delivery setting, prolonged labour, sepsis, unsafe abortion;perinatal mortality (stillbirth and neonatal mortality);time of onset of breast-feeding;child health (maternal report of diarrhoea, fever and refusal to breast feed)

—

Countries

Ethiopia

Contacts

Public ContactCharlotte Hanlon

Associate Professor Addis Ababa University

charlotte.hanlon@kcl.ac.uk+251912803374

Outcome results

None listed

Source: PACTR (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Aug 9, 2026