Non-pharmacological interventions for perinatal parental depression and anxiety: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

In 30 seconds

This systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis assessed non-pharmacological interventions delivered to both parents for perinatal depression or anxiety. It included 36 randomized controlled trials involving 15,477 parents. Multicomponent interventions had beneficial estimates for depression (SMD = -0.34, 95% CrI [-0.60, -0.08]) and anxiety (SMD = -0.48, 95% CrI [-0.66, -0.29]). Psychosocial interventions also showed a beneficial estimate for depression, while parent-child interaction interventions showed one for anxiety. Evidence certainty ranged from low to moderate, and the authors describe the findings as provisional.

Key findings

• For depression, multicomponent interventions showed a beneficial estimate (SMD = -0.34, 95% CrI [-0.60, -0.08]).
• For anxiety, multicomponent interventions showed a beneficial estimate (SMD = -0.48, 95% CrI [-0.66, -0.29]).
• Psychosocial interventions showed a beneficial estimate for depression (SMD = -0.25, 95% CrI [-0.43, -0.07]).
• Parent-child interaction interventions showed a beneficial estimate for anxiety (SMD = -0.19, 95% CrI [-0.36, -0.03]).

Why it matters

Perinatal depression and anxiety can affect both parents and the family, yet evidence has often considered each parent separately. This synthesis evaluates interventions delivered to both parents and suggests that multicomponent approaches may benefit symptoms across both domains. Its low-to-moderate certainty and provisional findings mean the estimates are informative for understanding the evidence, but do not establish comparative effectiveness with confidence.

What to keep in mind

The networks were sparse, comparisons were predominantly indirect, heterogeneity was substantial, and evidence certainty was low to moderate.