Objective: This systematic review aims to examine psychological interventions that target emotion regulation and broader emotional processes in the perinatal period, to bring together existing evidence, and to provide a comprehensive perspective on how these interventions address women's emotional challenges during pregnancy and the postpartum year.
Methods and measures: Following PRISMA 2020, 2,950 records were screened, 89 full texts assessed, and 11 studies (randomised controlled and quasi-experimental) were included. Eligible studies involved perinatal women, evaluated interventions with an explicit emotional focus, and reported validated outcomes on emotion regulation, affect, anxiety, or depression.
Results: Eleven studies were identified, including interventions such as Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Unified Protocol, Emotion-Focused Therapy, and self-compassion-based writing. Most reported significant improvements in emotion regulation and reductions in depressive and anxiety symptoms. For example, Agako et al. (2023) reported a large effect on emotion regulation (d = 1.5). Across studies, effects were generally in the moderate-to-large range.
Conclusion: Emotion-focused and emotion regulation-based interventions in the perinatal period show promising potential for enhancing women's emotional functioning and well-being. Findings highlight the importance of integrating emotion regulation-based approaches into perinatal psychological support programs, though limitations of existing studies warrant cautious interpretation.
Keywords: Pregnancy and postpartum; emotion regulation; perinatal emotional difficulties; perinatal mental health; psychological interventions.