The Efficacy of Behavioral Activation Therapy (BAT) andPharmacologic Intervention in Postpartum Depression: A PHQ-9Trajectory Analysis Using Protocol-Defined Remission Criteria
Abstract
Objective: To compare and assess the efficacy of pharmacologic treatment and Behavioral Activation Therapy PPD in females diagnosed with postpartum depression.Methods
In this prospective observational study, newly diagnosed females obtained either pharmacological therapy or BAT. PHQ-9 baseline and follow-up scores were used to measure the results. Demographic and clinical history and outcome of treatment were gathered. There was a comparison of descriptive statistics, paired t-tests and between-group comparisons.Results
The pharmacological group reported an average decrease of PHQ-9 of 11.2 ± 2.89 to 5.8 ± 2.64 and BAT group reported an average decrease of 10.8 ± 2.65 to 5.29 ± 1.99 at six weeks. The remission, response and partial remission was requested in BAT group, as well as in the two groups. Trends were represented as bar, line and scatter plots.Conclusion
Both interventions significantly improved depressive symptoms, with BAT showing a marginally higher remission rate and lower standard deviation. The findings support the inclusion of BAT as a viable first-line non pharmacologic intervention for PPD, particularly in resource-limited settings or when pharmacotherapy is declined.Keywords:
Postpartum depression, Pharmacologic treatment, Behavioral Activation Therapy, PHQ-9, Mental health, Comparative effectivenessPublished
2026/06/03
Issue
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