7th Call - Dr. Florence Naab

Project Title: A Pilot Study to Treat Depression Comorbid with Infertility among Ghanaian Women: Oh Happy Day

Principal Investigator: Dr. Florence Naab (School of Nursing, University of Ghana)

Email Address: fnaab@ug.edu.gh

Award Amount: GHC 4,988.00

Project Status: On-going

Summary:

The purpose of this research is to adapt a depression intervention (Oh Happy Day Class [OHDC]) to treat depression among Ghanaian women with infertility comorbid with depression. The OHDC was originally designed to treat depression in African American adults, and research showed it had an effect size of 0.41 among women. Research shows a high prevalence of depression and stress among women with infertility in Ghana. Despite the need for treatment for depression among these women, unfortunately the depression goes untreated because in Ghana treatment for infertility is primarily medical. This proposed research to treat depression addresses a critical global health issue as the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that by the year 2020, depression will be the second leading cause of disability throughout the world. This research is proposing to use a randomized controlled trial to test the feasibility and acceptability of the OHDC for Ghanaian women with infertility comorbid with depression among a sample of 24 Ghanaian women, with 12 participants each in the treatment and controlled groups. Data on the effectiveness of the OHDC in reducing symptoms of depression will be collected at baseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks of the intervention, and 3 months post intervention.