Treating Depression Among Adolescent Perinatal Women With a Dialectical Behavior Therapy-Informed Skills Group

- This study examines a DBT informed skills group for depressed adolescent perinatal women.
- Findings suggest the intervention is credible, acceptable, and associated with change in depression.
- Findings indicate challenges with feasibility, particularly enrollment and retention of depressed adolescent perinatal women.
- A case study demonstrates one participant's experience in the DBT informed skills group.

Depression is a prevalent and impairing problem affecting both women and offspring during the perinatal (pregnancy and the postpartum) period. Despite this, few studies have examined treatments for perinatal adolescents with depressive symptoms. The present study examined the feasibility and preliminary outcomes of a dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) informed skills group among depressed adolescent perinatal women (N = 25) recruited from both a public health parent education program and an adolescent obstetric clinic. A brief composite case example is included to illustrate how DBT skills were taught, practiced, and applied. Findings suggest the intervention was credible, acceptable, and associated with improvement in depression. Challenges with feasibility of enrolling and retaining adolescent perinatal women were evident, as approximately half of the enrolled participants did not complete the study. This study provides preliminary evidence that a DBT-informed skills group may be a promising intervention for depressed adolescent perinatal women and points to important directions for clinical practice and research, including treatment engagement and retention.