Integrating mindfulness skills training into group prenatal healthcare delivered in Spanish and English is feasible and may reduce postpartum depression. In a pragmatic pilot trial, 49 pregnant people (90% Black, Indigenous, and People of Color; 65% Latina/e/x; 63% Spanish-speaking) were allocated to standard CenteringPregnancy group care or CenteringPregnancy enhanced with mindfulness skills drawn from Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting. The enhanced group showed lower postpartum depression with a large effect size (Cohen's d = 0.80) and a trend toward lower postpartum anxiety (Cohen's d = 0.59). Effects on mindfulness, affect, and perceived stress were only partially supported. Satisfaction with care was high in both conditions.
Prenatal mindfulness training improves relational outcomes only for birthing-people with lower sociodemographic risk but elevated anxiety at baseline, and for those who practice mindfulness more during and after the class. In a randomized controlled trial comparing Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP) with community birthing classes, a main effect favoring MBCP appeared only on parenting stress. Moderation analyses showed significant benefits of MBCP on individual outcomes (dispositional mindfulness, mental health, parenting stress) and relational outcomes (mindfulness in parenting, compassion, bonding with fetus/infant) for higher-risk anxious participants and for those with greater mindfulness practice dosage. The findings clarify that relational benefits depend on baseline risk characteristics and practice engagement, guiding targeted adaptation of mindfulness interventions for diverse families.