Outcomes at the Motherhood Center: A Comparison of Virtual and On-Site Versions of a Specialized Perinatal Partial Hospitalization Program

Objectives: Remotely administered mental health care is becoming increasingly common for treatment of a range of psychiatric disorders; however, there is a dearth of literature overviewing direct comparisons between remote and in-person interventions for treatment of Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs). The sudden advent of the Covid-19 pandemic in New York City forced an abrupt conversion for an intensive day treatment program for new mothers with PMADs, from an on-site to a remote program. Methods: The current report compares outcomes of 81 women who completed the program in-person to those of 60 women who completed the program remotely. Results: Improvement in depression scores was statistically superior in the remote program, and improvement in mother-infant bonding was statistically equivalent between the on-site and remote programs. Discussion: These findings indicate that specialized partial hospitalization treatment for individuals with moderate to severe psychiatric illness can be effectively provided via telehealth, thus offering improved convenience, accessibility, and safety without compromising care. We conclude that remotely administered group psychotherapy is an effective intervention for women with moderate to severe PMADs.