Browsing by Author "Franco, Pamela"
Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Publication “How it is said”: Analyses of WhatsApp communications in a postpartum depression preventive intervention(2024) Fernández, Olga; Pérez, J. Carola; Alamo, Nicole; Fernández, Sofía; Franco, Pamela; Coo, Soledad; García Valdés, María Ignacia; Aravena, MarcelaIntroduction: “m-What Were We Thinking” (m-WWWT) is an m-health, intervention oriented to prevent symptoms of postpartum depression and anxiety in first-time mothers. Mothers receive psychoeducation and socioemotional support through written communication via text-messaging (i.e., WhatsApp) with the program counsellor. Although the use of m-health interventions targeting mental health has increased, the form/style of communication through text messages between participants and program counsellors has been understudied. Objective: The aim was to describe the formal structure of the communication (Basic Forms) and the communicational intentions (Communicative Intentions) used in the messages sent by the counsellor and to determine if these are related to the post-intervention outcomes. Methods: 438 text messages sent by the counsellor to 53 first-time mothers (M = 25.32 years, SD = 4.23) who participated in the m-WWWT intervention were analyzed. The Therapeutic Activity Coding System was used to capture the communication as a “Communicative Action”. Results: The study highlighted the counsellor's frequent use of the “assertion” communicative form (82%) and attuned communicative intentions (52%) and explored (39%) in her messages. The attractors of communication were “assert to attune” and “assert to explore”, indicating an empathetic and informative communication style. With respect to their relationship with the intervention outcome, only “assert to explore” messages were positively related to maternal self-efficacy increases. The number of messages was not associated with participants’ characteristics at baseline, except for educational level. Discussion: Our results show the relevance of combining the delivery of information with a communication style that allows the counsellor to connect with the specific needs and emotional tone of the participants.Publication Online Intervention Targeting Postnatal Depression and Anxiety in Chilean First-Time Mothers: Feasibility Trial(2024) Coo, Soledad; García Valdés, María Ignacia; Pérez, J. Carola; Aldoney, Daniela; Olhaberry, Marcia; Fernández, Olga; Alamo, Nicolle; Franco, Pamela; Pérez, Francisca; Fernández, Sofía; Fisher, Jane; Rowe, HeatherObjective: Internet-based interventions may positively impact maternal symptoms of postnatal depression and anxiety. This study assessed the feasibility, acceptability, perceived usefulness, and preliminary effectiveness of an m-Health version of “What Were We Thinking?” (m WWWT). Methods: A mixed-methods with a 2-arm randomized parallel design was used. From a total of 477 women, 157 met the inclusion criteria. 128 f irst-time mothers of full-term infants, aged 4–10weeks, who received health care at primary public health centers in Chile, were randomly assigned to the experimental (EG, n¼65) or control (CG, n¼63) groups; data of 104 of them (53 and 51, respectively) was analyzed. We used percentages and rates to measure feasibility outcomes and mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) and latent class analyses (LCA) to assess pre liminary effectiveness. Participants completed questionnaires on mental health, social support, and maternal self-efficacy upon recruitment and 3months after completing the intervention. For the qualitative component, 12 women from the EG were interviewed. Results: Quantitative results show good feasibility outcomes, such as high recruitment (82%), low attrition (EG ¼ 12% and CG¼17%), and high follow-up (EG ¼ 97% and CG¼91%) rates. Qualitative results indicate high acceptability and perceived usefulness of m-WWWT. Mixed ANOVA did not show significant differences between the groups (all p >.05). However, multinomial regression analysis in LCA showed that womenwithlow baseline symptoms of depression and anxiety benefit from the intervention (B¼0.43, 95% confidence interval 1.09–2.16). Conclusion: m-WWWT is feasible to be implemented in Chile; future studies are needed to assess the intervention’s effectiveness.Item Online intervention to prevent postnatal depression and anxiety in Chilean new mothers: Protocol for a feasibility trial(2022) Pérez Ewert, J. Carola; Aldoney, Daniela; García, María I.; Olhaberry, Marcia; Fernández, Olga; Alamo, Nicolle; Franco, Pamela; Pérez, Francisca; Fisher, Jane; Rowe, Heather; Coo, SoledadSymptoms of postpartum depression and anxiety in new mothers are prevalent and negatively impact maternal emotional wellbeing and infant development. Barriers to accessing treatment prevent women from receiving mental health care, a situation that has worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. mHealth interventions hold the potential to support women during the transition to parenthood despite these barriers and to promote the use of preventive interventions. This study uses a mixed methods design to assess the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a psychoeducational, guided mHealth intervention to prevent postpartum mental health difficulties in women who receive care in primary health centers in Chile. The study will contribute to evidence-based research on the effectiveness of mHealth interventions for new mothers from an under-studied cultural background. The findings will also enable the development of a larger randomized controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of the intervention, which, if effective, could significantly contribute to the emotional wellbeing of women and their families.