Effect of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Combined With Family Support on Depressive Symptoms and Sleep Quality in Patients With Postpartum Depression: A Retrospective Cohort Study Based on Propensity Score Matching
Qiusi Yuan
Actas Españolas de Psiquiatría October 29, 2026 DOI: 10.62641/aep.2361 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Retrospective propensity score-matched cohort study Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 212 |
| Population | Patients with postpartum depression admitted to Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Women's and Children's Hospital between October 2022 and October 2025 |
| Interventions | Mindfulness-based stress reduction nursing Family support nursing |
| Duration | Assessed before nursing and at 4 and 8 weeks after nursing |
| Measures | Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) |
| Topics | Depression Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness-based stress reduction nursing combined with family support nursing was associated with greater reductions in EPDS and PSQI scores at 4 and 8 weeks than family support nursing alone, with similar patterns for inflammatory markers, salivary cortisol, and HRV parameters. Satisfaction was higher in the combined group (86.79% vs. 73.58%). The authors state these associations require confirmation in prospective randomized controlled trials. |
Abstract
Background: To explore the association between mindfulness-based stress reduction nursing combined with family support nursing and depressive symptoms, sleep quality, related physiological indicators in patients with postpartum depression using a retrospective propensity score-matched design.
Methods: A total of 472 patients with postpartum depression admitted to Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Women’s and Children’s Hospital between October 2022 and October 2025 were included. After propensity score matching, 106 patients who received family support nursing alone (control group) and 106 who received mindfulnessbased stress reduction nursing combined with family support nursing (observation group) were analysed. Outcomes were assessed before nursing, at 4 and 8 weeks after nursing. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc tests with Bonferroni correction were applied. The primary outcome was the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score. Secondary outcomes included Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores, sleep architecture parameters, inflammatory markers (IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6), salivary cortisol, heart rate variability (HRV) parameters, and nursing satisfaction rate.
Results: Repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant time, group, and time × group interaction effects for EPDS scores, PSQI scores, and sleep architecture (p < 0.001). At 4 and 8 weeks, EPDS and PSQI scores were lower than baseline values in both group (p < 0.0167, Bonferroni corrected), and scores at week 8 were further reduced compared with those at week 4 (p < 0.0167). The observation group showed significantly lower EPDS and PSQI scores than the control group (p < 0.0167). Similar patterns were observed for inflammatory markers, salivary cortisol, and HRV parameters. The observation group also had a higher satisfaction rate (86.79% vs. 73.58%, p = 0.016).
Conclusions: In this retrospective matched cohort, mindfulness-based stress reduction nursing combined with family support nursing was associated with greater improvements in depressive symptoms, sleep quality, and stress-related physiological parameters compared with family support nursing alone. These associations warrant confirmation in prospective randomised controlled trials.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on depression, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metacognitive awareness and prevention of relapse in depression: Empirical evidence. Residually depressed patients and nondepressed controls; recovered depressed patients | 2002 | Observational cohort with intervention components | |
| Psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression: fMRI-measured brain mechanisms. Patients with treatment-resistant depression | 2017 | Observational cohort | n = 19 |
| Antidepressant effects of a single dose of ayahuasca in patients with recurrent depression: a preliminary report Patients with a depressive disorder | 2015 | Observational study | |
| Concomitant BDNF and sleep slow wave changes indicate ketamine-induced plasticity in major depressive disorder Patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder | 2012 | Observational cohort | n = 30 |
| Altered peripheral immune profiles in treatment-resistant depression: response to ketamine and prediction of treatment outcome Healthy controls and actively depressed patients with treatment-resistant depression... | 2017 | Observational cohort | n = 59 |