Description of the intervention
Psychosocial interventions are “any non-pharmacological intervention carried out in a therapeutic context at an individual, family or group level” (WHO 2009) and are “focused on psychological and/or social factors rather than biological factors” (Ruddy 2005) in order to modify women’s behaviour, cognition, and/or emotional state directly or indirectly (Samartzis 2013). It can be difficult to choose a clear and objective definition for psychosocial interventions (Huibers 2007), as they encompass many types of interventions,includingantenatalorpostnatalclasses,professional home visits, lay home visits, telephone-based peer support, psychoeducational group meetings, educational information, teaching of relaxation strategies, non-directive counselling, psychoeducational booklets, stress management training and education, incentive-based interventions, cognitive behavioural therapy, community care, antenatal and postnatal social support, and team midwifery care with a focus on continuity (Fawzy 1995; Dennis 2007a; Chamberlain 2013; Dennis 2013; Samartzis 2013).