Protocol for a pilot study assessing a virtual mindfulness intervention for postpartum African American women.
Brain behavior and immunity integrative April 1, 2024 Lindsey Garfield, Natalie N Watson-Singleton, Herbert L Mathews et al.
A culturally adapted virtual mindfulness program, Mindfulness for African Americans Postpartum (MAAP), is being tested in a pilot randomized controlled trial with African American women within 12 months of giving birth. The intervention adapts Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction to include spirituality, interdependence, self-empowerment, and storytelling, and is delivered via Zoom by a certified instructor. The primary aim is to reduce psycho-behavioral symptoms such as perceived stress, depressive symptoms, anxiety, poor sleep, posttraumatic stress, and fatigue, and to improve mother-infant bonding. A secondary aim explores effects on proinflammatory cytokines and oxytocin. The protocol addresses time constraints and parenting challenges to make mindfulness more accessible for this higher-risk population.