Couples program to prevent depression during pregnancy and after birth in rural India
Official title: Adaptation and pilot testing of a couples-based intervention to prevent perinatal depression in rural India
Funded at University of California, San Francisco · NIH-11371935 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A couples-based program to help first-time pregnant women and their partners in rural India lower the chance of depression during pregnancy and after childbirth.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Career grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $22,927 |
| NIH project number | 3K99HD114849-02S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11371935 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are first-time pregnant women (primiparous) and their partners who live in rural central India.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not pregnant, not first-time parents, not in a partnered relationship, or not living in the study area are unlikely to be eligible or to benefit from this specific program.
What this research studies
Researchers will adapt proven couples-based approaches so the program fits local languages, customs, and family roles in rural central India. You and your partner may be invited to join a short, structured program during your first pregnancy and could be randomly assigned to the couples program or to usual care. The team will gather your feedback and measure mood, relationship support, and early parenting outcomes through pregnancy and the postpartum period to see whether the program is acceptable, feasible, and shows early promise. Findings will be used to refine the program before a larger trial.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this program could reduce perinatal depression, increase partner support, and improve outcomes for mothers and their children in rural India.
How similar studies have gone: Couples-based preventive programs have reduced perinatal depression in higher-income countries, but preventive couples interventions are largely untested in low-resource rural Indian settings.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gopalakrishnan, Lakshmi — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Gopalakrishnan, Lakshmi
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Couples-based approach to prevent perinatal depression in rural India
A new, family-focused program helps new mothers and their husbands address perinatal depression in rural India using trained lay counselors.
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Couples-based approach to prevent perinatal depression in rural India
A pilot program in rural India tests a couples-based, lay-counselor–delivered approach to prevent perinatal depression for new mothers and their partners.
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Machine learning to tailor and prevent perinatal depression for pregnant and new mothers
A machine learning project at Carnegie Mellon aims to find personalized, scalable ways to prevent perinatal depression in pregnant people and new mothers.
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Online sleep therapy to prevent depression during and after pregnancy
This project will see whether an online cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia can help prevent depression during pregnancy and in the first year after childbirth for pregnant people with insomnia.
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Understanding how gut and body signals interact to influence perinatal depression
A study of pregnant people exploring how the gut microbiome and body signals contribute to depression during and after pregnancy.
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IMAGINE digital group program to prevent perinatal depression
This pilot offers a mobile group-based cognitive behavioral program called IMAGINE to help pregnant and postpartum people lower their chance of developing depression.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.