FINNISH MODEL OF BRIEF PARENT-INFANT PSYCHOTHERAPY ON MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FUNCTIONING - A PILOT STUDY
ABSTRACT Objectives: Pregnancy and parenthood can strain parental mental health, with potential risks for child development. To alleviate this, parent-infant psychotherapies can promote parental mental health and positive parent-child interactions. While the effectiveness of parent-infant psychot...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
The Finnish Foundation for Psychiatric Research
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Psychiatria Fennica |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.psykiatriantutkimussaatio.fi/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Psychiatria_Fennica%E2%94%ACa2024_Partanen_et_al.pdf |
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| Summary: | ABSTRACT
Objectives: Pregnancy and parenthood can strain parental mental health, with potential risks for child development. To
alleviate this, parent-infant psychotherapies can promote parental mental health and positive parent-child interactions.
While the effectiveness of parent-infant psychotherapies (PIPs) on parental mental health have been previously studied, the
Finnish model of treatment differs from approaches used internationally by its integrative nature and personalized approach.
No data on the effectiveness of the Finnish parent-infant psychotherapy approach exist. This pilot study investigated the
effectiveness of the Finnish short-term (up to 20 sessions) parent-infant psychotherapy on maternal mental health and
psychosocial functioning during the treatment period. Materials and methods: The study utilized data from the Finnish
Psychotherapy Quality Register (FPQR) of the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa. The data consisted of all PIPs
conducted between 2018 and 2022 (n=43, all female). Changes in anxiety (OASIS), depression (PHQ-9), psychological
distress (CORE-OM) and clinician-assessed psychosocial functioning (SOFAS) from pre– to post-treatment were examined
with linear mixed models. We further examined whether primary diagnosis affected symptom change. Results: Symptoms of
anxiety, depression and psychological distress alleviated statistically, but not clinically significantly, in patients with anxiety
as primary diagnosis (pre- vs. post-treatment PHQ-9 mean 6.88 (SD 5-09) vs. 3.08 (SD 3.04), OASIS 7.36 (4.23) vs. 3.56
(3.16), CORE-OM 10.90 (5.53) vs. 5.34 (2.93)). Pre-post comparisons for patients with primary diagnosis of depression
seem to suggest no effect of intervention. Conclusions: In this pilot study we found modest changes in symptoms of depression,
anxiety and psychological distress among patients with anxiety disorder, but not with depression, as primary diagnosis during
parent-infant psychotherapy. Clinically reliable changes were observed only in a minority of the patients. Further studies
with larger sample size and comparison groups are warranted to support evidence-based decision making in the planning of
perinatal mental health services. |
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| ISSN: | 2489-6152 |