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Postpartum DepressionNCT06390540

Mobile-Based Exercise in Postpartum Period

A study testing Exercise in people with Postpartum Depression and Mother-Infant Interaction, run by Ankara University.

Unknown status

Status not confirmed. The sponsor has not verified this record for over two years, so it may be out of date.

Official record
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Trial summary

Postpartum depression is a global mental health problem affecting 13 million women worldwide each year. It is defined as minor or major depression that occurs up to one year after birth and is estimated to affect 5 to 25% of mothers who have just given birth . Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 45 years, women onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
What is being tested?
Exercise
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
80 participants
Where
No sites listed yet
Study dates
1 May 2024to 30 Mar 2025
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 45 years
  • Women only
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult

Who may be able to join

  • Having had a singleton pregnancy,
  • Not having a history of serious illness/chronic disease,
  • Not being restricted from exercising by the physician,
  • Having given birth at term (37-42 weeks of pregnancy),
  • Being within the first 6 months after birth,
  • Having a healthy baby,
Show all 10Show fewer
  • Knowing how to read and write Turkish and understanding it,
  • Having the skills to use phones, tablets, computers and mobile applications,
  • Not having any problems that would prevent communication,
  • Agreeing to participate in the research. -

Who cannot join

  • Having a history of multiple pregnancy,
  • Being taking medication for the treatment of illness or chronic disease,
  • Exercising regularly,
  • Having a premature baby (<37 weeks of gestation),
  • Having a history of illness in the baby,
  • Not having a phone, tablet or computer,
  • Not agreeing to participate in the research. -

Trial locations and contacts

No sites are listed yet.

About this study

Official title: The Effect of Mobile-Based Exercise Application in the Postpartum Period on Depressive Symptoms, Maternal Attachment and Baby Crying: A Randomized Controlled Study

Postpartum depression is a global mental health problem affecting 13 million women worldwide each year. It is defined as minor or major depression that occurs up to one year after birth and is estimated to affect 5 to 25% of mothers who have just given birth . Postpartum depression can cause negative consequences not only on the mother but also on the newborn and the whole family. The main goal in the postpartum period is to maintain the well-being of mother and baby. However, if a depression is experienced during this period, the main goal is to take action to reduce its severity. Exercise is a potentially promising method to prevent postpartum depression. However, more studies are needed to determine the effects of exercise on women who live in rural Türkiye and have limited access to health services. Therefore, this study aims to determine the effect of a mobile-based exercise program applied to women giving birth in rural areas on postpartum depression, mother-baby attachment and baby crying behavior.

Read the detailed description

Postpartum depression is a global mental health problem affecting 13 million women worldwide each year . It is defined as minor or major depression that occurs up to one year after birth and is estimated to affect 5 to 25% of mothers who have just given birth . Postpartum depression, often associated with periodic depressive episodes, is characterized by emotional lability, guilt, dysphoria, disorientation, and suicidal thoughts and can persist for a long time. Postpartum depression is recognized as an official diagnosis by the World Health Organization's International Classification of Disorders, 10th revision (ICD-10) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. While ICD-10 reports that the most critical period for diagnosing postpartum depression is within six weeks after birth, the American Psychiatric Association reported that episodes of postpartum depression can begin within four weeks after birth. Postpartum depression can also turn into permanent and long-term depression, which can increase the likelihood of recurrent episodes of depression in subsequent pregnancies. This is supported by evidence that women with a history of depressive illness are more likely to develop postpartum depression. Postpartum depression can cause negative consequences not only on the mother but also on the newborn and the whole family. Postpartum depression, in particular, has significant effects on mother-infant attachment; It also has negative effects on the mother learning how to care for her baby and transitioning into the parenting role. Postpartum depression can lead to early cessation of breastfeeding or breastfeeding problems; It may also cause the use of preventive health services and vaccination rates in children to be low. Impairments in social participation and emotional regulation, increased negative emotionality, and high cortisol reactivity may be observed in babies of mothers with depression.

During the postpartum period, not only mothers but also their babies may show some behavioral reactions. One of these is crying. There are many possible causes of crying problems in babies, but none of them are certain. It has generally focused on conditions that cause excessive crying in the baby, such as immaturity of the intestinal flora, cow's milk allergy and intestinal microbiota composition. Many studies have raised the question of whether the cause may lie in maternal factors. Crying problems in babies have been associated with low maternal age and education level. Some researchers agree that crying problems arise from the complex mother-infant dyad, and it is well known that maternal postpartum depression and infant crying influence each other . Systematic reviews on this topic have generally found associations between the mother's mental problems (stress, anxiety, or depression) during pregnancy and the baby's regulatory problems, including crying.

The main goal in the postpartum period is to maintain the well-being of mother and baby. However, if a depression is experienced during this period, the main goal is to take action to reduce its severity. Postpartum depression is a specific psychological disorder for which preventive interventions can provide dramatic benefits. In their meta-analysis study by It has been stated that practices such as cognitive behavioral therapies, social support groups, psycho-educational training, physical exercises, yoga, and lack of nutritional supplements are interventions that can be used to reduce the severity of postpartum depression..

Exercise is a potentially promising method to prevent postpartum depression. Since the aim of exercise is to improve or maintain one or more aspects of physical fitness, it is defined as a planned, systematic, repeated and purposeful action.Previous studies have provided compelling evidence regarding exercise in the postpartum period. It has been reported that exercises performed in the postpartum period provide psychosocial well-being, less anxiety and depression, better cardiovascular adaptation, body fat/weight control, less bone loss due to breastfeeding and less stress incontinence, and strengthen the bonding between mother and baby.

Studies generally point to the importance of regular exercise in the postpartum period. However, the number of women exercising in the postpartum period is limited, and lack of access to affordable and appropriate activities is a perceived barrier to exercise. The increasing number of mobile-based applications in recent years offers affordable and accessible exercise applications. These apps use a variety of features, from tracking exercise activity to providing motivational messages. However, what is known about whether exercise practices improve health outcomes and, if so, the mechanisms of these effects is limited. Therefore, there is a need for more studies in this important area to determine the effects of exercise using new technologies as an alternative to face-to-face exercise programs, especially for women living in rural Türkiye and with limited access to health services.

Women who give birth in Türkiye are followed up in the hospital for 24 hours and then followed up three times during the postpartum period at home or in Family Health Centers (FHC) within the scope of health services. Health professionals have a unique duty to follow up women in the postpartum period, identify women at risk for depression, and encourage mothers to use preventive practices such as exercise. It is very important for midwives and nurses to explain mobile-based exercise programs to prevent the development of depression, especially to women living in rural areas, in the postpartum period, to persuade women to participate in these programs, and to perform exercises regularly under the supervision of doctors and physiotherapists in terms of protecting the health of women and their families. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the effect of a mobile-based exercise program applied to women giving birth in rural areas on reducing the severity of postpartum depression, mother-baby bonding, and baby crying behavior.

Being tested
Exercise
Keywords
postpartum period, depression, mothers, exercise, babies and infants
Medical subject headings
Depression, Postpartum, Depression, Motor Activity

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • ExerciseOther

    During the training, verbal information will be given about the importance of exercise, exercise barriers, and the potential benefits of exercise on the mother and baby in the postpartum period. In the training, the points that the mother should pay attention to before exercise will also be discussed. In the following process, videos containing deep breathing and relaxation exercises will be sent to women. The videos will be recorded by the researchers at Ankara University Physiotherapy application laboratory. Recording videos will be delivered to women through social networks. Women will be allowed to do these exercises for a total of 8 weeks.

Study groups in NCT06390540
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Exercise GroupExperimentalIn the study, women will perform breathing and relaxation exercises for 8 weeks. In the first phase of the intervention, women will be given home exercise program training. The training will be held face to face at the Family Health Center. The day and time will be determined according to the women's preference. Afterwards, women will be informed about the exercise program and the exercise program will be shared in writing. In the second phase of the intervention, a total of four exercise videos will be sent to women every two weeks on Sunday.Exercise videos will be sent to women through social networks such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Women's exercise routines will be recorded by researchers by calling the women and monitoring whether they do the exercises through self-report.
Receives: Other: Exercise
Control GroupNo interventionNo intervention will be made to women in the control group. When necessary, women's questions will be answered via phone. At the end of the study, breathing and relaxation exercise training will be given to the control group. Trainings will be held face to face at the Family Health Center. The training program will be planned taking into account the demands of women.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Chance from Baseline in Depression on the 30-point Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale at Week 8

    The Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale is a validated, self-reported instrument assessing average depression intensify postpartum period. Possible scores range from 0 (no depression) to 30 (depression).

    The scale consists of 10 questions in total. Each question provides a four-point Likert type measurement. The items in questions 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 of the scale are scored as 3, 2, 1, 0 and gradually indicates decreasing intensity. The scoring of the items in questions 1, 2 and 4 is in the form of 0, 1, 2, 3, indicating increasing severity. By summing these items, the total score of the scale is obtained. The lowest total score that can be obtained on the scale is 0 and the highest is 30.

    Measured: Baseline and 8 week

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Chance from Baseline in Mother-baby attachment on the 104-point Maternal Attachment Scale at Week 8

    The Maternal Attachment Scale is a validated, self-reported instrument assessing average attachment with maternal love. Possible scores range from 26 (low attachment) to 104 (high attachment).

    The Maternal Attachment scale is a 4-point Likert type scale with 26 questions. The items in the scale consist of the options "never-1 point", "sometimes-2 points", "often-3 points", "always-4 points". Each item in the scale consists of a positive structure and is scored. The maximum score that women can get from the scale is "104" and the minimum score is "26". The highest score obtained from the scale is maternal in women. The lowest score indicates that maternal attachment is low in women.

    Measured: Baseline and 8 week

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted30 Apr 2024
  2. Study start1 May 2024 (estimated)
  3. Primary completion30 Nov 2024 (estimated)
  4. Study completion30 Mar 2025 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
This research will be conducted in accordance with the pre-test-post-test experimental research model in two groups in order to determine the effect of a mobile-based breathing and relaxation exercise program applied to postpartum women on postpartum depression, mother-infant attachment and baby crying behavior.
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Participant
Enrolment
80 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT06390540
Sponsor's protocol ID
ANKARA-UNALS-001
Status last verified
Apr 2024
First submitted
19 Apr 2024
Last updated
30 Apr 2024
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Wu YM, McArthur E, Dixon S, Dirk JS, Welk BK. Association between intrapartum epidural use and maternal postpartum depression presenting for medical care: a population-based, matched cohort study. Int J Obstet Anesth. 2018 Aug;35:10-16. doi: 10.1016/j.ijoa.2018.04.005. Epub 2018 Apr 21.

    PubMed 29954649
  • Tonei V. Mother's mental health after childbirth: Does the delivery method matter? J Health Econ. 2019 Jan;63:182-196. doi: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2018.11.006. Epub 2018 Dec 7.

    PubMed 30594609
  • Zhou C, Hu H, Wang C, Zhu Z, Feng G, Xue J, Yang Z. The effectiveness of mHealth interventions on postpartum depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Telemed Telecare. 2022 Feb;28(2):83-95. doi: 10.1177/1357633X20917816. Epub 2020 Apr 19.

    PubMed 32306847
  • Carter T, Bastounis A, Guo B, Jane Morrell C. The effectiveness of exercise-based interventions for preventing or treating postpartum depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2019 Feb;22(1):37-53. doi: 10.1007/s00737-018-0869-3. Epub 2018 Jun 7.

    PubMed 29882074
  • Saligheh M, McNamara B, Rooney R. Perceived barriers and enablers of physical activity in postpartum women: a qualitative approach. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2016 Jun 2;16(1):131. doi: 10.1186/s12884-016-0908-x.

    PubMed 27256279
  • Payne JL, Maguire J. Pathophysiological mechanisms implicated in postpartum depression. Front Neuroendocrinol. 2019 Jan;52:165-180. doi: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2018.12.001. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

    PubMed 30552910
  • Hoifodt RS, Nordahl D, Pfuhl G, Landsem IP, Thimm JC, Ilstad LKK, Wang CEA. Protocol for the Northern babies longitudinal study: predicting postpartum depression and improving parent-infant interaction with The Newborn Behavioral Observation. BMJ Open. 2017 Sep 27;7(9):e016005. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016005.

    PubMed 28963284
  • Kasamatsu H, Tsuchida A, Matsumura K, Shimao M, Hamazaki K, Inadera H; Japan Environment and Children's Study Group. Understanding the relationship between postpartum depression one month and six months after delivery and mother-infant bonding failure one-year after birth: results from the Japan Environment and Children's study (JECS). Psychol Med. 2020 Jan;50(1):161-169. doi: 10.1017/S0033291719002101. Epub 2019 Sep 2.

    PubMed 31474232
  • Reijneveld SA, Brugman E, Hirasing RA. Excessive infant crying: the impact of varying definitions. Pediatrics. 2001 Oct;108(4):893-7. doi: 10.1542/peds.108.4.893.

    PubMed 11581441
  • Cirgin Ellett ML. What is known about infant colic? Gastroenterol Nurs. 2003 Mar-Apr;26(2):60-5. doi: 10.1097/00001610-200303000-00004.

    PubMed 12682526
  • Loughman A, Quinn T, Nation ML, Reichelt A, Moore RJ, Van TTH, Sung V, Tang MLK. Infant microbiota in colic: predictive associations with problem crying and subsequent child behavior. J Dev Orig Health Dis. 2021 Apr;12(2):260-270. doi: 10.1017/S2040174420000227. Epub 2020 Apr 13.

    PubMed 32279681
  • Petzoldt J, Wittchen HU, Einsle F, Martini J. Maternal anxiety versus depressive disorders: specific relations to infants' crying, feeding and sleeping problems. Child Care Health Dev. 2016 Mar;42(2):231-45. doi: 10.1111/cch.12292. Epub 2015 Oct 22.

    PubMed 26490836
  • Papousek M, von Hofacker N. Persistent crying in early infancy: a non-trivial condition of risk for the developing mother-infant relationship. Child Care Health Dev. 1998 Sep;24(5):395-424. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2214.2002.00091.x.

    PubMed 9728285
  • Raiha H, Lehtonen L, Huhtala V, Saleva K, Korvenranta H. Excessively crying infant in the family: mother-infant, father-infant and mother-father interaction. Child Care Health Dev. 2002 Sep;28(5):419-29. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2214.2002.00292.x.

    PubMed 12296876
  • Olmestig TK, Siersma V, Birkmose AR, Kragstrup J, Ertmann RK. Infant crying problems related to maternal depressive and anxiety symptoms during pregnancy: a prospective cohort study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2021 Nov 17;21(1):777. doi: 10.1186/s12884-021-04252-z.

    PubMed 34789174

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Exercise in people with Postpartum Depression and Mother-Infant Interaction, run by Ankara University.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 10 inclusion and 7 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 30 Apr 2024. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

Results are not available in the source record.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact SERAP CANLI (+9005427897635, seunal@ankara.edu.tr), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Chance from Baseline in Depression on the 30-point Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale at Week 8 (time frame: Baseline and 8 week). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06390540, which also lists 39 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 30 Apr 2024.

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