Impact of Seeking Safety Dose on Depression and PTSD Symptoms Among Pregnant and Post-Partum Women

Seeking Safety (SS) is a present-focused counseling model for individuals struggling with PTSD and/or substance abuse. PTSD and depression, the main outcome measures in this study, are prevalent during the perinatal and postpartum period and have been associated with substance use. Using data from a SAMHSA funded study, we examined the association between the dose of SS and PTSD and depression symptom severity. Data were collected at baseline and at two follow up time points: immediately at discharge from treatment (N = 95), and at six months post-baseline (N = 57). All of the second follow-up interviews were conducted in the community. Participants included 114 pregnant (N = 35) or postpartum (N = 79) women between 18 and 45 years of age admitted into a residential treatment program for substance abuse treatment. Participants completed an average of 7.5 SS sessions during their stay at the residential treatment program. A significant negative association was initially observed between the number of SS sessions and PTSD and depression symptoms. Although the number of SS sessions was no longer significant when baseline demographic and clinical characteristics were accounted for, the importance of the initial finding for future research and clinical practice is discussed. Given the high rates of substance use and mental health problems among pregnant and postpartum women and the negative consequences for these women and their children, further research on the impact of SS, or other trauma-specific similar interventions is needed.