Incorporating Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Postpartum Depression Into Social Work Practice in Israel

To determine feasibility and acceptability of incorporating IPT for postpartum depression (PPD) into Israeli social work practice. Women who were 4–24 weeks postpartum with PPD, at least 18 years old, had telephone access, and had a score of 10–18 on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) were eligible to participate in this two-group, nonrandomized repeated measures pilot. The intervention group received eight 50-min IPT sessions and the comparison group received treatment-as-usual. Primary outcomes were measured with the EPDS, Postpartum Adjustment Questionnaire (PPAQ), and Client Satisfaction Scale-8. There was a significant reduction in both groups in EPDS scores at the end of treatment (t = ？4.68, 95% CI [？6.49, ？2.57], d = 1.07) and 4 weeks posttreatment (t = ？5.09, 95% CI [？7.14, ？3.08], p < .001, d = 1.21), a significant reduction in PPAQ scores at the end of treatment (t = ？2.09, 95% CI [？0.29, 0.00], p < .05, d = 0.44), and high patient acceptability. This study provided preliminary evidence supporting IPT use by social workers in Israel