Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for the treatment of antenatal depression and anxiety in Pakistan: a feasibility study

Maqsood, Rimsha, Ilyas, Uzma and Waters, Cerith ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7049-9906 2025. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for the treatment of antenatal depression and anxiety in Pakistan: a feasibility study. Journal of Professional & Applied Psychology 6 (2) , pp. 136-151. 10.52053/jpap.v6i2.354

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Abstract

Untreated antenatal depression and anxiety is a major public health concern due to its detrimental effects for mother’s during pregnancy as well as children’s longer-term health outcomes. Antenatal depression and anxiety have a significant adverse impact on mothers’ postnatal mental health, maternal caregiving, mother-infant relationship quality, and children’s longer-term developmental outcomes. These findings highlight the need to address antenatal mental distress by employing contemporary therapeutic interventions. The objective of the present study was to assess the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a culturally adapted Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention for women presenting with antenatal depression and anxiety in Pakistan. The current study used an uncontrolled pilot study design and a purposive sampling strategy. Pregnant women (N = 10) were recruited from five different Gynecology or Psychiatric hospitals in Pakistan. Women completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and the Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory (MPFI) at pre and post treatment. Participant’s pre and post intervention scores on these three questionnaires were compared using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The intervention completion rate was 70% (7 in 10). For the 3 women who dropped out of the study the reason was childbirth. At post-treatment, participants who completed the intervention showed significant improvements in depression and anxiety symptoms and increased psychological flexibility. Our findings indicate that ACT is a potentially feasible and effective treatment for antenatal depression and anxiety in Pakistan.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Psychology
ISSN:	2710-2793
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	17 July 2025
Date of Acceptance:	30 December 2024
Last Modified:	18 Jul 2025 13:45
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/179899

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