DNP alumna publishes scholarly project on perinatal mental health care
A graduate of the UCLA Joe C. Wen School of Nursing Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program has published her scholarly project in the Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association.
Rachel Sabbagh, DNP, MSN, RN, PHMCNS-BC, led a quality improvement project examining the effectiveness of nurse-led Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) for women experiencing depression and anxiety symptoms around childbirth. The article, “Nurse-led Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) for Perinatal Women With Depression and Anxiety,” was published online in July 2026.
Depression and anxiety are among the most common mental health challenges affecting women during pregnancy and into postpartum. Although IPT is an evidence-based treatment for perinatal mood disorders, access to these programs is limited.
As part of her DNP scholarly work, Sabbagh designed and implemented a nurse-led virtual IPT intervention through the UCLA Health Maternal Outpatient Mental Health Services (MOMS) Clinic. Eighteen perinatal women experiencing depression and/or anxiety symptoms participated in either group-based or individual virtual IPT sessions.
The project found that participants experienced significant improvements in both depression and anxiety symptoms, regardless of whether they utilized group or individual therapy. They also reported increased social support and high satisfaction with the intervention, highlighting the potential for nurse-led, virtual psychotherapy programs to expand access to critical mental health care services.
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