Project 467014

Postpartum depression (PPD) affects 10% of birthing parents in Canada, and an additional 8% experience comorbid anxiety. Despite the prevalence of these disorders, barriers exist making treatment inaccessible for many. Web-enabled resources present as a promising solution, increasing access to mental healthcare for birthing parents. However, the needs and opinions of birthing parents are not commonly considered in the web development process. The SUPPORT Study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and usability of postpartumcare.ca, a web-enabled resource for postpartum mental health, created based on the input of birthing parents in British Columbia (BC) affected by these disorders. The outcomes that will be evaluated in this quantitative study include: (1) depression and anxiety measures; (2) system usability and satisfaction; and (3) website metrics. Parents experiencing postpartum depression and/or anxiety from BC who gave birth in the past 12 months will be recruited. Fifty will be randomized to the intervention group, receiving immediate access to postpartumcare.ca for 4 weeks, and 50 will be randomized to waitlist control, receiving treatment as usual. Outcomes will include (1) depression and anxiety measured at baseline and again 2 weeks after the intervention; (2) system usability and satisfaction measured at 4 weeks after the intervention; and (3) website metrics, measured at 4 weeks. We hypothesize that following the use of postpartumcare.ca, the intervention group will see a greater reduction in depression and/or anxiety symptoms compared to the control group, and that the website will be rated as usable. Study results will be used to inform further development of postpartumcare.ca and will be disseminated in a future knowledge translation phase of the project.