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NCT Number: NCT07773259

CODEPAD-III (Collaborative Outcomes of DEpression and Pain Associated With Delivery-III)

The childbirth process is associated with increased risk of having depression and persistent pain which may have adverse effects to mothers and their babies. There is a lack of routine effective programs in current healthcare practice to address, risk stratify and reduce depression and persistent pain after childbirth.

The study site proposes a Collaborative Psychological Model (CPM) consisting of music listening, customized mobile application on psychological strategies, telephone-based support, with monitoring (mobile electronic surveys, wearable-based vital sign monitoring) to effectively prevent, detect, monitor, and treat depression and persistent pain after childbirth. The study will determine if using the CPM will reduce the risk of having depression associated with childbirth. The study will also find out whether the CPM will reduce the depressive symptoms in women who undergo labor that may have increased depression risk. This clinical study will involve 2042 women undergoing childbirth at KK Hospital. In addition, up to 1428 patients' partners (fathers) will also be recruited for the week 8 postpartum assessment.

The study findings will improve healthcare for women in the community by incorporating digital psychological strategies to manage depression and persistent pain after childbirth. The CPM will also guide future directions to customize an individual's healthcare needs and to improve transition from hospital to community care for women after childbirth.

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Key information

Conditions

Depression Behavior Behavioral Symptoms Mental Health Neurologic Manifestations Pain Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Personal Satisfaction Postpartum Psychological Well-Being Signs and Symptoms

Age range

21 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

About this study

Postnatal depression (PND) represents a substantial burden, contributing to adverse outcomes for mothers, their infants, and families. The global incidence of PND has been reported to be about 17%, with Southeast Asia countries having a pooled incidence of 22%. Established risk factors include the severity of pain experienced during childbirth, analgesic techniques employed, and underlying psychological vulnerabilities.

Cesarean delivery, especially emergency Cesarean delivery, has been associated with an increased risk of PND. Childbirth often results in substantial tissue trauma, which may lead to persistent postpartum pain (PPP) that affects up to 20% of women globally. Both PND and PPP could contribute to a significant socioeconomic burden and diminished quality of life. Non-pharmacological interventions have demonstrated effectiveness in reducing depression and pain in postpartum women, as well as in populations with depression, and chronic pain. However, it remains uncertain whether delivering these interventions as part of a structured Collaborative Psychological Model (CPM) can effectively reduce the incidence of both PND and PPP. Currently, there is a lack of standardized and effective programs, with high risk PND stratification, addressing these outcomes in routine clinical care.

The proposed CPM in this study addresses these gaps through electronic surveys and mobile apps that enable mothers to manage their mental health without reliance on pharmacological therapy in a comfortable and private manner. By integrating multiple evidence-based interventions into a single program, we aim to leverage upon their individual efficacies and achieve a synergistic effect to improve outcomes related to PND and PPP.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

(Mothers):

  • Healthy (American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status II);
  • Parturient women at term (36 weeks' gestation or more, nulliparous and multiparous);
  • With a singleton fetus;
  • Planning to have childbirth and delivery at study site;
  • Patients with prior mental health history, and current active psychiatric care will also be recruited.

Inclusion criteria

(Fathers):

  • Identified partner (e.g., husband or significant other) of the enrolled pregnant patient;
  • Aged 21 years and above;
  • Able to understand the study procedures and willing to participate in the 8 weeks postpartum assessment.

Exclusion criteria

(Mothers):

  • History of intravenous drug or opioid abuse;
  • Previous history of chronic pain syndrome.

Exclusion criteria

(Fathers):

  • Unable to provide informed consent (e.g., cognitive impairment, language barriers without available translation support);
  • Any condition that, in the opinion of the investigators, would make participation inappropriate (e.g., severe psychiatric or medical condition).

Treatment and study plan

Collaborative Psychological Model (CPM)

Other

Participants assigned to the interventional arm will receive the following psychological therapies:

  • Participants will be provided with a 2-month Spotify subscription for music listening for at least 30 minutes daily until week 8 postpartum follow-up survey. Data on the duration of music listening, preferred genres, and patient satisfaction will be collected at week 8 postpartum.
  • A customized mobile app incorporating artificial-intelligence-powered chatbot for personalized support, in-app guidance on mindfulness exercises, coping strategies with pain and mood, and educational resources will be provided to patients for use from after delivery till week 8 postpartum.
  • Telephone-based support session by a team of assigned research coordinators will be offered for all patients with high risk of postnatal depression; or patients with low risk of postnatal depression and having Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) ≥ 10, throughout the fortnightly EPDS monitoring.

Intervention common to both arms

Other

Patients will receive a wearable device to monitor heart rate variability, sleep patterns, activity metrics (steps, distance, calories) from delivery until week 8 postpartum. Questionnaires on psychological and pain assessments will be administered before and after delivery, with the final time point being week 8 postpartum.

Telephone-based support (Control)

Other

Telephone-based support will be offered if patient is found to have Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) equal to or more than 10.

Primary outcomes

  1. The incidence of postnatal depression in both groups

    Time frame: 8 weeks after delivery (2 months)

    Incidence of postnatal depression will be assessed via Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score at week 8 postpartum. EPDS is a 10-item self reporting scale to evaluate the postnatal depression. Participants are asked to respond according to how they have felt in the past seven days. Each item is measured on a 4-point scale (0-3), with a total score in the range of 0 to 30. A higher total score indicates a greater degree of depressive symptoms. A score of 10 and above indicates clinically significant depressive symptoms.

Secondary outcomes

  1. The incidence of persistent postpartum pain (PPP) in both groups

    Time frame: 8 weeks after delivery (2 months)

    The incidence of PPP is defined as the presence of pain for 8 weeks at the perineal, surgical scar or abdominal region related to childbirth at week 8 postpartum.

  2. Breastfeeding self-efficacy in both groups

    Time frame: 8 weeks after delivery (2 months)

    The breastfeeding self-efficacy will be assessed by breastfeeding self-efficacy scale- short form (BSES-SF). Breastfeeding self-efficacy refers to a mother's confidence and perception of how well she can breastfeed her infant. The 14-item self-administered BSES-SF comes in a 5-point Likert-type scale where 1 indicates not at all confident and 5 indicates always confident. Scores are summed to produce a range from 14 to 70, with higher scores indicating higher levels of breastfeeding self-efficacy.

  3. Postpartum bonding in both groups

    Time frame: 8 weeks after delivery (2 months)

    The postpartum bonding will be assessed by Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ). It consists of 25 items on four sub scales: i) impaired bonding; ii) rejection and anger; iii) anxiety about care; and iv) risk of abuse. The items are based on Likert scale ranging from 0 (always) to 5 (never), with a total score ranging from 0 to 125 where lower PBQ scores are associated with better mother-child bonding.

  4. Health status in both groups

    Time frame: 8 weeks after delivery (2 months)

    Health status will be assessed via EQ-5D-5L, a standardized instrument for measuring generic health status. It is made up for two components; health state description and evaluation. The health status is measured in terms of five dimensions (5D); mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression; each dimension ranging from 1-5 (5L). From these five dimensions, EQ-5D index is calculated, having a value between 0-1. The evaluation part involves an analogue scale, asking to mark health status on the day of the survey on a 20 cm vertical scale with end points of 0 and 100. Zero corresponds to " worst imaginable health state", and hundred corresponds to "best imaginable health state".

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Ban Leong Sng, FFPMANZCA

CONTACT

[email protected]

65-6394-1077

Chin Wen Tan, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

65-6394 8436

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

KK Women's and Children's Hospital

Other Gov

Collaborators

  • National Medical Research Council (NMRC), Singapore

Registry information

Official study title

Collaborative Psychological Model for Management of Postnatal Depression and Persistent Postpartum Pain After Childbirth: CODEPAD-III (Collaborative Outcomes of DEpression and Pain Associated With Delivery-III)

Acronym: CODEPAD-III

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2031
Study completion
2031
First posted
Aug 19, 2026
Registry last updated
Aug 19, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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