Abstract
Postnatal depression is the most common mental health complication of childbirth worldwide and effects up to one fifth of new mothers in the United Kingdom. Part A of this portfolio presents a systematic review of research evaluating the effectiveness of group Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for postnatal depression. The paper identifies and synthesises the components, or active ingredients, of these group interventions. The findings indicate that whilst there are several common features across interventions, there is also a wide degree of variation in duration, facilitation, techniques used and topics covered. The paper also highlights the need for clearer and more detailed reporting of interventions in published studies, and suggests future research could seek to assess the effectiveness of different composite parts of these interventions, to inform high quality clinical practice.
Part B of this portfolio presents a qualitative study exploring the experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic of Child and Family Social Workers who are parents. These are two already highly demanding roles which saw new and additional pressures during the pandemic. Three themes and four subthemes were generated from the interviews, capturing the participants’ challenges in adjusting to a new way of working alongside their strengths and successes. The findings highlight some of the unique experiences of this group in balancing the demands of work and home, as well as the coping skills and personal qualities that were drawn upon. The findings of this study have implications for social work employers in relation to workforce, recruitment and retention policy development.