Panacea Index Logo

Command Palette

Search for a command to run...

Effectiveness of Digital Guided Self-help Mindfulness Training During Pregnancy on Maternal Psychological Distress and Infant Neuropsychological Development: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Journal of medical Internet research
January 1, 1970
Xuan Zhang et al. (8 authors)
Randomized Controlled TrialJournal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tHuman StudyClinical
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to determine the effectiveness of a digital guided self-help mindfulness-based intervention (GSH-MBI) in reducing maternal psychological distress and improving infant neuropsychological performance.

Results Summary

The digital GSH-MBI significantly reduced maternal depression, anxiety, and pregnancy-related anxiety symptoms compared to the control group. It also improved infant temperament outcomes, including quality of mood, distractibility, and adaptability at 6 weeks postpartum.

Population

Pregnant women (12-20 weeks gestation) exhibiting psychological distress.

Effective Dosage

6-week intervention via a WeChat mini program with daily reminders.

Duration

6 weeks

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (6)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
digital guided self-help (GSH) mindfulness-based intervention (GSH-MBI)
decrease
depression symptoms
women who were 12 to 20 weeks pregnant and exhibited psychological distress
-
showed a significant reduction in
#1
digital guided self-help (GSH) mindfulness-based intervention (GSH-MBI)
decrease
anxiety symptoms
women who were 12 to 20 weeks pregnant and exhibited psychological distress
-
showed a significant reduction in
#2
digital guided self-help (GSH) mindfulness-based intervention (GSH-MBI)
decrease
pregnancy-related anxiety symptoms
women who were 12 to 20 weeks pregnant and exhibited psychological distress
-
showed a significant reduction in
#3
digital guided self-help (GSH) mindfulness-based intervention (GSH-MBI)
decrease
infant temperament quality of mood
infants at 6 weeks post partum
-
scores were lower than those of the control group for
#4
digital guided self-help (GSH) mindfulness-based intervention (GSH-MBI)
decrease
infant temperament distractibility
infants at 6 weeks post partum
-
scores were lower than those of the control group for
#5
digital guided self-help (GSH) mindfulness-based intervention (GSH-MBI)
decrease
infant temperament adaptability
infants at 6 weeks post partum
-
scores were lower than those of the control group for
#6
Abstract

BACKGROUND: Maternal psychological distress during pregnancy is associated with unfavorable outcomes in infants. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) can effectively alleviate psychological distress, but there are often barriers to the access of face-to-face interventions. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a digital guided self-help (GSH) MBI (GSH-MBI) in reducing maternal psychological distress and improving infant neuropsychological performance. METHODS: This was a randomized controlled trial. We recruited 160 women who were 12 to 20 weeks pregnant and exhibited psychological distress. We randomized them into a digital GSH-MBI group and a control group (usual perinatal care). The digital GSH-MBI consisted of a 6-week intervention through a WeChat mini program, with a daily reminder sent to the participants by a research assistant via WeChat. The primary outcomes consisted of maternal psychological distress, including depression, anxiety, and pregnancy-related anxiety symptoms, which were assessed at 6 time points from baseline to 6 months post partum (only pregnancy-related anxiety symptoms were assessed 3 times during pregnancy). The secondary outcomes were infant neuropsychological outcomes, including temperament and developmental behaviors, which were assessed at 6 weeks and 6 months post partum. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the digital GSH-MBI group showed a significant reduction in depression, anxiety, and pregnancy-related anxiety symptoms. In addition, the scores of the digital GSH-MBI group were lower than those of the control group for the 3 types of infant temperament at 6 weeks post partum, including quality of mood, distractibility, and adaptability. CONCLUSIONS: Digital GSH-MBIs are effective in alleviating psychological distress among pregnant women and protecting infant outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Register ChiCTR2000040717; https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=65376.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
FemaleInfantPregnancyHumansMindfulnessPostpartum PeriodHealth BehaviorAnxietyPsychological DistressDepression
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy85/10
Quality90/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations21
Citations/Year10.5
Relative Citation Ratio7.93
NIH Percentile96.8%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.95
Weight Score1.88
Normalized Score0.72
Related Supplements
Effectiveness of Digital Guided Self-help Mindfulness Traini... | Panacea Index