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Can psychological interventions prevent or reduce risk for perinatal anxiety disorders? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

General hospital psychiatry
January 1, 2023
Martha Zimmermann et al. (9 authors)
Meta-AnalysisSystematic ReviewJournal ArticleResearch Support, N.I.H., ExtramuralHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to determine whether interventions, including mindfulness, could prevent or reduce perinatal anxiety symptoms in individuals without an anxiety disorder diagnosis.

Results Summary

Mindfulness interventions (n=6) were found to be effective in reducing perinatal anxiety symptom severity, with a small standardized mean difference favoring the intervention group. Psychological interventions, including mindfulness, showed promise, though interventions specifically targeting anxiety were noted as needed.

Population

Perinatal individuals without an anxiety disorder diagnosis.

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (6)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
interventions
no change
incidence of perinatal anxiety disorder
perinatal population without an anxiety disorder diagnosis
no significant effect
found no significant effect
#1
interventions
decrease
anxiety symptom severity
perinatal population without an anxiety disorder diagnosis
-0.31 (95% CI [-0.46, -0.16], p < .001)
suggested a small standardized mean difference
#2
mindfulness
decrease
anxiety symptom severity
perinatal population without an anxiety disorder diagnosis
-
were effective
#3
cognitive behavioral therapy approaches
decrease
anxiety symptom severity
perinatal population without an anxiety disorder diagnosis
-
were effective
#4
interventions developed for perinatal anxiety
decrease
anxiety symptom severity
perinatal population without an anxiety disorder diagnosis
-
were more effective
#5
psychological interventions
decrease
perinatal anxiety symptom severity
perinatal population without an anxiety disorder diagnosis
-
show promise for reducing
#6
Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Little is known about the extent to which interventions can prevent perinatal anxiety disorders. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine whether interventions can decrease the onset and symptoms of perinatal anxiety among individuals without an anxiety disorder diagnosis. METHOD: We conducted a comprehensive literature search across five databases related to key concepts: (1) anxiety disorders/anxiety symptom severity (2) perinatal (3) interventions (4) prevention. We included studies that examined a perinatal population without an anxiety disorder diagnosis, included a comparator group, and assessed perinatal anxiety. We included interventions focused on perinatal anxiety as well as interventions to prevent perinatal depression or influence related outcomes (e.g., physical activity). RESULTS: Thirty-six studies were included. No study assessing the incidence of perinatal anxiety disorder (n = 4) found a significant effect of an intervention. Among studies assessing anxiety symptom severity and included in the quantitative analysis (n = 30), a meta-analysis suggested a small standardized mean difference of -0.31 (95% CI [-0.46, -0.16], p < .001) for anxiety at post intervention, favoring the intervention group. Both mindfulness (n = 6), and cognitive behavioral therapy approaches (n = 10) were effective. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions developed for perinatal anxiety were more effective than interventions to prevent perinatal depression. Psychological interventions show promise for reducing perinatal anxiety symptom severity, though interventions specifically targeting anxiety are needed.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
PregnancyFemaleHumansPsychosocial InterventionAnxietyAnxiety DisordersCognitive Behavioral TherapyMindfulnessDepression
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy75/10
Quality85/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations6
Citations/Year3.0
Relative Citation Ratio2.27
NIH Percentile78.2%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.50
Weight Score2.82
Normalized Score0.67
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