Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Parental Reflection Intervention on Pregnancy-Related Distress: A Pilot Study
Background: Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to be efficacious for reducing psychological distress and mental health symptoms and promoting well-being, including during pregnancy and postpartum. There is promising, though limited, evidence showing that interventions that focus on impr...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Mary Ann Liebert
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Women's Health Reports |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/WHR.2022.0090 |
| _version_ | 1797345663891013632 |
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| author | Lucia Ciciolla Samantha Addante Karina M. Shreffler Julie M. Croff |
| author_facet | Lucia Ciciolla Samantha Addante Karina M. Shreffler Julie M. Croff |
| author_sort | Lucia Ciciolla |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to be efficacious for reducing psychological distress and mental health symptoms and promoting well-being, including during pregnancy and postpartum. There is promising, though limited, evidence showing that interventions that focus on improving the mother-infant relationship are associated with improvements in both the mother-infant relationship and maternal mental health symptoms. The current study examines the effects of a prenatal mindfulness-based, reflective intervention designed to enhance maternal-fetal bonding on pregnancy-related distress and prenatal depressive symptoms.
Methods: Out of a larger sample of 130 pregnant women in their second trimester, 15 women were recruited to participate in a 2-week long mindfulness-based, reflective intervention with daily short (<5-minute) activities. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to examine associations between the intervention and pregnancy-related distress and depression during the third trimester of pregnancy, controlling for race, age, education, union status, and first trimester depressive symptoms.
Results: Results indicate that women who participated in the intervention during their second trimester reported lower pregnancy-related distress in their third trimester but no differences in depressive symptoms.
Conclusions: A brief, mindfulness-based intervention delivered during pregnancy via cellphone texts can be a useful tool to reduce maternal distress related to pregnancy. Additional reflective exercises that address mood and global stress, as well as increasing the amount and/or frequency of the intervention, may be important for promoting maternal mental health more globally. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T11:22:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-02666f35b8064fe49d011c9af0e2effd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2688-4844 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T11:22:03Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | Mary Ann Liebert |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Women's Health Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-02666f35b8064fe49d011c9af0e2effd2024-01-26T06:03:05ZengMary Ann LiebertWomen's Health Reports2688-48442023-02-0141788310.1089/WHR.2022.0090Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Parental Reflection Intervention on Pregnancy-Related Distress: A Pilot StudyLucia CiciollaSamantha AddanteKarina M. ShrefflerJulie M. CroffBackground: Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to be efficacious for reducing psychological distress and mental health symptoms and promoting well-being, including during pregnancy and postpartum. There is promising, though limited, evidence showing that interventions that focus on improving the mother-infant relationship are associated with improvements in both the mother-infant relationship and maternal mental health symptoms. The current study examines the effects of a prenatal mindfulness-based, reflective intervention designed to enhance maternal-fetal bonding on pregnancy-related distress and prenatal depressive symptoms. Methods: Out of a larger sample of 130 pregnant women in their second trimester, 15 women were recruited to participate in a 2-week long mindfulness-based, reflective intervention with daily short (<5-minute) activities. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to examine associations between the intervention and pregnancy-related distress and depression during the third trimester of pregnancy, controlling for race, age, education, union status, and first trimester depressive symptoms. Results: Results indicate that women who participated in the intervention during their second trimester reported lower pregnancy-related distress in their third trimester but no differences in depressive symptoms. Conclusions: A brief, mindfulness-based intervention delivered during pregnancy via cellphone texts can be a useful tool to reduce maternal distress related to pregnancy. Additional reflective exercises that address mood and global stress, as well as increasing the amount and/or frequency of the intervention, may be important for promoting maternal mental health more globally.https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/WHR.2022.0090pregnancydistressmaternal mental healthmindfulnessintervention |
| spellingShingle | Lucia Ciciolla Samantha Addante Karina M. Shreffler Julie M. Croff Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Parental Reflection Intervention on Pregnancy-Related Distress: A Pilot Study Women's Health Reports pregnancy distress maternal mental health mindfulness intervention |
| title | Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Parental Reflection Intervention on Pregnancy-Related Distress: A Pilot Study |
| title_full | Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Parental Reflection Intervention on Pregnancy-Related Distress: A Pilot Study |
| title_fullStr | Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Parental Reflection Intervention on Pregnancy-Related Distress: A Pilot Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Parental Reflection Intervention on Pregnancy-Related Distress: A Pilot Study |
| title_short | Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Parental Reflection Intervention on Pregnancy-Related Distress: A Pilot Study |
| title_sort | effects of a mindfulness based parental reflection intervention on pregnancy related distress a pilot study |
| topic | pregnancy distress maternal mental health mindfulness intervention |
| url | https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/WHR.2022.0090 |
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