ACT for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders: A feasibility and proof of concept study

Brief summary

This study evaluates the feasibility, safety, and effectiveness of a newly developed ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy) intervention designed for women experiencing moderate-to-severe perinatal mood and/or anxiety disorders. The intervention was given to women accessing a specialist Perinatal Community Mental Health Service (PCMHS).

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Key findings

• The intervention had high engagement, with 88% of participants completing the programme and a median attendance of seven sessions.
• The implementation of ACT in daily life, therapist support, and group processes were cited as helpful aspects of the intervention.
• There was a significant reduction in global distress, depressive symptoms, and an increase in psychological flexibility post-treatment, with large effect sizes for these outcomes.
• Qualitative feedback highlighted the benefits of group support, normalisation of difficulties, therapist modelling, and skill acquisition.

Practice recommendations

• Group-delivered ACT is a feasible and acceptable approach for women with moderate-to-severe perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.
• The intervention’s trans-diagnostic nature allows for the simultaneous treatment of mood and anxiety symptoms, addressing common comorbidities in the perinatal context.
• Mental health practitioners without extensive psychological therapy training can effectively deliver the intervention with appropriate supervision and training.
• Future work should explore long-term benefits, implement a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to establish efficacy, and investigate the inclusion of childcare support to improve accessibility.

As this was a feasibility study, there was no control group, adherence to the manual was not assessed, and the absence of a follow-up period limits our knowledge of the longer-term benefits of the ACT group programme.

Reference

Waters, C. S., Annear, B., Flockhart, G., Jones, I., Simmonds, J. R., Smith, S., Traylor, C., & Williams, J. F. (2020). Acceptance and commitment therapy for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders: A feasibility and proof of concept study. British Journal of Clinical Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjc.12261