Cited by 19Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and PostpartumDigital Mental Health InterventionsPersonality Disorders and Psychopathology

Randomized controlled trial of Sunnyside: individual versus group-based online interventions to prevent postpartum depression

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Duffecy, Jennifer, Grekin, Rebecca, Long, Jeffrey D., Mills, James A., O'Hara, Michael·2022·Journal of Affective Disorders

Abstract

Background Postpartum depression (PPD) is a serious mental health problem that has a prevalence rate of nearly 20% in the first three months after delivery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the benefit of Sunnyside, an internet-based cognitive-behavioral intervention, delivered in a group format compared to the same intervention delivered individually for the prevention of PPD.Method 210 people between 20- and 28-weeks gestation and who scored between 5 and 14 on the PHQ-8 and who did not meet criteria for major depression were recruited online. The Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms (IDAS), the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD), and the depression and anxiety modules of the MINI were obtained at baseline, post-treatment, and 12-weeks postpartum. Intervention adherence was measured by site usage.Results Across self-report and interview measures of depression there were no significant differences in outcome between the group and the individual versions of the program. Rates of major depression and generalized anxiety disorder in the postpartum period were low and adherence to the conditions was similarly high. Participants in the individual condition were significantly more satisfied than participants in the group condition (p < 0.05).Limitations The sample was predominantly white (85%) and recruited online, which may limit generalizability.Conclusions The group intervention was not more effective than the individual intervention. However, ignoring groups, many measures improved over time. The results of this study provide evidence that mood symptoms improve when participating in an online preventive intervention for postpartum depression.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.jad.2022.05.123

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  • IMIs have shown efficacy in significantly improving depressive symptoms in peripartum women.

    “IMIs have also shown efficacy in significantly improving depressive symptoms in peripartum women (e.g., Duffecy et al., 2022; Hanach et al., 2021; Lau et al., 2021; Loughnan et al., 2019; Mu et al., 2021).”

    From PandaMom – Feasibility and acceptability of an internet- and mobile-based intervention to enhance peripartum mental well-being and to prevent postpartum depression (2024) · cites this paper as Duffecy et al., 2022

    The Results (HAMD17 and IDAS-General Depression subscale; page unavailable) report significant declines in depressive symptoms among participants receiving the online intervention. However, the trial compared two active versions of Sunnyside and found no significant difference between them; without a non-intervention comparator, its symptom declines alone do not establish that Sunnyside caused the improvement. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • The Mothers and Babies Course and Sunnyside relied exclusively on traditional CBT and failed to reach statistical significance in their respective RCTs.

    “moreover, 2 of the few internet-based CBT interventions for the prevention of PPD—Mothers and Babies Course and Sunnyside—also relied exclusively on traditional CBT, with the former resulting from an adaptation of a group-based face-to-face intervention [8] and the latter resulting from an adaptation of a group-based internet intervention [9]. In both cases, the programs encompassed 8 sessions, an”

    From The Efficacy of Be a Mom, a Web-Based Intervention to Prevent Postpartum Depression: Examining Mechanisms of Change in a Randomized Controlled Trial (2023) · cites this paper as [9]

    The Results report no statistically significant difference between Sunnyside’s individual and group versions, but participants in both improved over time; the trial therefore does not show that Sunnyside itself failed against a no-intervention control. The Discussion says Sunnyside incorporated both CBT and interpersonal psychotherapy, contrary to the claim that it relied exclusively on traditional CBT. Method > Interventions describes an eight-week program with 16 lessons, not eight sessions. No page numbers are available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.87)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • The Mothers and Babies Course and Sunnyside failed to provide compelling evidence on their efficacy.

    “with the notable exceptions of Mothers and Babies Course [8] and Sunnyside [9], which nevertheless failed to provide compelling evidence on their efficacy”

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Tandon SD, Perry DF, Mendelson T, Kemp K, Leis JA, 2011b. Preventing perinatal depression in low-income home visiting clients: A randomized controlled trial. J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 79, 707– 712. 10.1037/a0024895 21806298 · DOI · Paper page

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Authors
Duffecy, J., Grekin, R., Long, J. D., Mills, J. A., & O'Hara, M.
Affiliations
  • University of Illinois Chicago (US)
  • University of Iowa (US)
Corresponding author
Duffecy, Jennifer
Venue
Journal of Affective Disorders
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2022-08
Volume
311
Pages
538-547
ISSN
0165-0327 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4281714291
Cited by
19
References
65
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 1
FWCI
3.31
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Affective Disorders (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
  • National Institutes of Health (UL1TR002537)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (1R34MH102469, 1R34MH102478)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Disorders and Psychopathology
Keywords
postpartum depression, Sunnyside, group versus individual intervention, perinatal depression, generalized anxiety disorder, intervention adherence, participant satisfaction, early pregnancy
MeSH terms
Internet-Based Intervention, Anxiety, Depression, Female, Humans, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Treatment Outcome, Depression, Postpartum, Internet

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