The Effect of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy on Anxiety, Depression and Stress in Women with Preeclampsia

Introduction: Stress induced by preeclampsia in pregnancy may have a detrimental effect on both the mother and child. Risk of anxiety, depression and stress during pregnancy is, therefore, commonly associated with preeclampsia. Aim: To determine the effect of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) on anxiety, depression and stress in pregnant women with preeclampsia. Materials and Methods: In a clinical trial, 60 women with preeclampsia were selected by the convenience sampling method from the Imam-Ali Hospital of Amol city (North of Iran). The subjects were randomly divided into two groups; the study group (n=30) and the control (n=30). All participants completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and a Pregnancy Distress Questionnaire (PDQ) at the beginning and end of the study. The intervention group received 12 CBT sessions lasting for 90 minutes over 4 weeks (3 sessions in a week) and the control group received no treatment. Results: A MANCOVA test showed that CBT significantly reduced the mean scores of anxiety (5.5 +/-3.2 vs. 9.7 +/-3.8) and depression (6.4+/-2.6 vs 9.3+/-4.0) in preeclamptic women (F: 19.933, p-value < 0.01). In addition, ANCOVA also revealed that CBT significantly improved the mean scores of specific-stress pregnancy (15.9 +/-6.3 vs 22.2 +/-6.8) in women with preeclampsia (F: 10.214, p-value < 0.01). Conclusion: Psychotherapy was effective in reducing anxiety, depression and specific-stress pregnancy in pregnant women with preeclampsia.