Internet-based interventions for postpartum depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Aim: To determine the efficacy of Internet-based interventions in decreasing the prevalence of postpartum depression in perinatal women. Design: This review was conducted according to the standards outlined in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement. Methods: We performed a systematic meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on the efficacy of Internet-based interventions for postpartum depression. Studies (2008–2018) were identified through a search conducted on PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library. Risk ratios or weighted mean differences with 95% confidence intervals were calculated using a fixed-effects model or a random-effects model. Stata software 11.0 was used to perform the meta-analysis. Results: Most of the seven eligible studies were randomized controlled trials. The random-effects model indicated that Internet-based interventions significantly improved postpartum depression (d = 0.642, N = 7). Attrition rates ranged from 4.5%–86.9% and from 0%–87.1% for the intervention and control groups, respectively.