Using an Electronic Mindfulness-based Intervention (eMBI) to improve maternal mental health during pregnancy: Results from a randomized controlled trial.
Psychiatry research December 1, 2023 Kathrin Hassdenteufel, Mitho Müller, Harald Abele et al. 32 citations
A supervised internet-based mindfulness program during late pregnancy did not reduce general depression or anxiety symptoms, but it did lower pregnancy- and birth-related anxiety and reduced the rate of women at risk for postpartum mental health problems six weeks after birth. Mindfulness scores also improved. The trial screened over 5,000 pregnant women, enrolled 460 who had elevated depressive symptoms, and randomly assigned them to the eight-week digital mindfulness intervention or a control group. The program, delivered between weeks 29 and 36 of pregnancy, showed no significant effect on overall depressive or anxiety symptoms, but positive effects emerged for pregnancy-specific worries and postpartum depression prevention.