Personality Style and Self Compassion in Postpartum Depression: An Online Prevention Study

The primary aim of this study is to assess the relationship between personality style, self-compassion and depression during pregnancy, to identify psychological risk factors, particularly personality styles, that may contribute to the onset of PPD. Additionally, the study will provide support for the effectiveness of Internet-based Compassionate-Mind Training (iCMT) as a prevention intervention for Postpartum Depression (PPD) for women in the 2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancy. The study will also assess differences along personality predictors and depression severity as they relate to intervention outcomes (i.e. depression in postpartum and self-compassion) and engagement. The researchers hypothesize that women both at high and low risk for PPD will receive benefits from the intervention, however, those who endorse more maladaptive personality traits will likely engage and benefit less than those who do not endorse these traits.