The Developmental Psychopathology of Perinatal Depression: Implications for Psychosocial Treatment Development and Delivery in Pregnancy

Abstract

Taking a developmental psychopathology perspective, our objective was to identify ways in which psychosocial treatment of depression during pregnancy may be enhanced. We first consider the state of evidence on psychosocial interventions for antenatal depression, next define key developmental psychopathology concepts that are relevant to antenatal depression, and finally discuss implications for clinical practice and research. We found a limited, but promising, evidence base for effective psychosocial interventions for depression during pregnancy. Examining antenatal depression from a developmental psychopathology perspective revealed suggestions for improving treatment. A developmental psychopathology perspective suggests that treatment of depression during pregnancy may be improved by attention to the continuum of depression, from subclinical to severe major depressive disorder; personalized care based on individual women's pattern of risk and resilience factors and correlated risks; consideration of the potential benefits of treating the couple's relationship, the mother's qualities of parenting, and infants' and children's mental health needs; and, including a detailed understanding of the developmental pathways to antenatal depression for each patient in treatment planning.