Effectiveness of the early depressive prevention program (EDPP) on coping skills and depression score for adolescent pregnancy in northeastern Thailand

Adolescent pregnancy is a high level and a cause of serious problems in Thailand. Depressive symptoms in pregnant adolescent were the crucial problem, that can be found during pregnancy and continue to the postpartum period. Moreover, the effect occurred in both the mother and the child. This study aimed to develop the Early Depressive Prevention Program (EDPP) for using in the antenatal period of pregnant adolescents in the northeastern region of Thailand (Isan) and examine the effects of the EDPP program. The EDPP was the research intervention with application of social support theory, empowerment theory, self-esteem concept and pregnant adolescents’ needs. A quasi-experimental design was employed in conducting the study with 72 participants (36 each in the experimental and control groups). The research instruments included instruments for the research intervention and instruments for data collection. Thus, the instruments for data collection consisted of a demographic data form, an antenatal depression scale, and a coping skills scale. The Antenatal Depression Scale and the Coping Skills Scale were checked based on the Content Validity Index (CVI), that showed .90 and .85 respectively. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to check reliability, the Antenatal Depression Scale and Coping Skills Scale were α=.77 and .78 respectively. Meanwhile, the congruence between the concepts and activities in the program was considered by five experts and adjust before using it.This study, the experimental group received the EDPP program and routine care, while the control group received routine care only. There were no significant differences between groups in terms of socio-demographic characteristics, and the baseline depression and coping skill scores p>.05). The findings revealed that the Early Depressive Prevention Program decrease the depression symptoms and increase the coping skill scale. Furthermore, the means depression scores of all participants in the experimental group were significantly lower than before receiving the program at Week 7 (p<.001), Week 9 (p <.001), and Week 11 (p <.001). Moreover, there were statistically significant differences from the control group in terms of changes in depression scores over time (p<.05). The coping skill scores of the participants in the experimental group were significantly higher than before receiving the program at Week 7 (p<.01), Week 9, (p<.01) and Week 11 (p<.001). Although there were no differences between the two groups at Week 7 and Week 9, there were statistically significant differences at Week 11 (p<.01). The EDPP program can prevent depressive symptoms during pregnancy in pregnant adolescents and can be promoted the coping skills in them. The EDPP program focuses primarily on the implementation of pregnant adolescents' needs to prevent depression while pregnant. Therefore, this program is appropriate to guide the management of depression prevention during pregnancy and promote the problem-solving skills of adolescent pregnant women with similar contexts to the northeastern region of Thailand, and should organize activities that meet the needs of pregnant adolescents in order to be successful and sustainable.