Physiotherapy - Theses
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ItemThe effect of the 'Mother and baby' exercise program on new mothers psychological well-being and depressive symptoms( 2007)The benefits of physiotherapy exercise and allied health education programs on new mothers psychological well-being have never been studied, despite extensive awareness worldwide on cost-effective and non-medicated strategies to prevent women from developing Post-natal Depression (PND). The findings of previous studies investigating general physical activity and depression have often been limited by general populations, not including women in the post-natal period, small sample sizes and/or the lack of an adequate control group. In order to determine whether an allied health intervention including specialised women's health physiotherapy exercise combined with mother crafting education, the first randomised controlled trial was completed. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of an eight week physiotherapy based exercise program with allied health education named the “Mother & Baby" program on the psychological well-being of new mothers. The experimental group (n=62) attended the "'Mother & Baby" program once a week for eight weeks and the control group (n=73) received the same educational material as the experimental group via mail. The primary outcome measures of psychological well-being, depressive symptoms and measure of physical activity levels were collected at baseline, eight weeks later (post program) and then twelve weeks later. Results indicated a significant effect on well-being scores and depressive symptoms of the exercise group when compared with the control group over the three time periods (p< 0.001). Women who had been identified as "'at risk" of post-natal depression had reduced their depressive symptoms by 50% by the end of the intervention. More specifically, there was a significant effect on well-being scores and depressive symptoms at eight weeks (p < 0.001) and this effect on both well-being scores and depressive symptoms were maintained four weeks later after completion of the program. A correlation analysis revealed The Affect Balance Scale of well-being and the Edinburgh Post-natal Depression Scale were well-correlated (p<0.01) indicating a high well-being score reflected low symptoms of post-natal depression. Analyses also revealed that the intervention did not significantly increase participants’ physical activity levels. However, membership of the “Mother & Baby” program was a strong predictor of well-being scores and depression symptoms. The significant results of this trial demonstrate the effectiveness of the "Mother & Baby" Program which involves specialised women's health physiotherapy exercise and allied health education, on new mothers' psychological well-being and risk of depression. The results of this study reinforce that a multi-factorial intervention, involving both physiotherapy exercise and allied health education are required to influence well-being and post-natal depression symptoms.