Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Women With Depression in Iran.

OBJECTIVE

Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) is an evidence-based psychotherapy, developed to treat major depressive disorder. The aim of this study was to conduct a preliminary investigation of the effects of IPT on depressive symptoms and quality of life among women with depression in Iran.

METHODS

Adult women ages ≥18 who met DSM-5 criteria for a current major depressive episode (N=30) were randomly assigned to receive 12 weeks of individual IPT or to a waitlist control (WLC) group.

RESULTS

Compared with women assigned to WLC, those assigned to IPT had significantly lower depression scores (F=155.1; df=1 and 26; p<0.001) and higher quality-of-life scores (F=137.5; df=1 and 26; p<0.001) posttreatment, with controls for pretreatment values.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with WLC, IPT was associated with greater reductions in depression and improvements in quality of life, suggesting the promise of this approach for treating depression among Iranian women.