4 - (SYM 48) the Strong Roots® perinatal DBT Model: Pilot Implementation Data for Women with Mood Disorders

Objective: The current project aimed to develop, pilot, and evaluate a replicable treatment group for pregnant and postpartum women diagnosed with mood disorders that is an adaption of the evidence-based Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) model and incorporates additional parenting concepts derived from an evidence-based parenting intervention, “Mom Power,” a Strong Roots® program. Here we present findings from our pilot evaluation of this integrated group-based DBT/parenting model with the perinatal population at a university-based psychiatric clinic.




Methods: Pre-post measures for each of the four DBT modules included the Edinburg Postnatal Depression Scale, the Life Events Inventory, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), and the Functional Social Support Questionnaire, and was collected on n=47 perinatal women. Following each module, questionnaires assessed DBT Skill Competency (e.g., ability to calm oneself, cope with stress or manage intense emotions), and Participant Satisfaction with helpfulness of the group.  Iterative modifications were made to the curriculum to incorporate parenting concepts, and data collection for these adapted modules is ongoing. 




Results:   Pre-post data demonstrated decreases in anxiety and depression and increases in functional social support. Additionally, women self-reported increased ability to calm and manage intense emotions, increased coping with, and improved skills around self-care and communication.  Women also shared a strong interest in support for parenting, and curriculum modifications were made to create four integrated DBT/parenting skills modules.  Formative evaluation of this integrated Strong Roots Perinatal DBT skills/parenting intervention indicates strong support for model feasibility, acceptability, and perceived helpfulness; evaluation of model efficacy is ongoing and additional data will be available to report in November 2023.

 



Discussion: Findings highlight that Strong Roots Perinatal DBT may be an effective and responsive approach to deliver evidence-based psychotherapy for vulnerable perinatal women.