A Guided Mobile-Based Perinatal Mindfulness Intervention

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BACKGROUND Being pregnant, giving birth and turning into a mother are three closely intertwined major life transitions that a woman would experience within a short period of time. This period is often clouded by intense distress due to dramatic physical and psychosocial changes. In Hong Kong, a high...

BACKGROUND Being pregnant, giving birth and turning into a mother are three closely intertwined major life transitions that a woman would experience within a short period of time. This period is often clouded by intense distress due to dramatic physical and psychosocial changes. In Hong Kong, a highly competitive and work-intense society, women face pressures on all fronts. Hong Kong ranks among the fifth with the oldest first-time mother in the world. Pregnancy at an older age is a known risk factor for antenatal depression. Women's labor force participation rate in Hong Kong is high - 84.1% in the 20-39 age group. The difficulty of balancing work and life is amplified when a woman is pregnant. The adverse consequences of stress are broad and far-reaching, shaping obstetric and neonatal outcomes, including increased analgesic use and unplanned cesarean delivery, preterm delivery, low birth weight and Apgar scores, smaller head circumference and major congenital anomalies. Research started to reveal that the disrupting maternal cardiovascular system in pregnant women with elevated psychological distress, indexed by low heart rate variability (HRV), might be a mechanism for the worsening of birth outcomes. However, the finding is not conclusive. In the recent decade, empirical research supporting the efficacy of prenatal mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) has emerged. MBI cultivates abilities that are important to pregnant women and new mothers, such as savoring, self-acceptance and psychological flexibility. In Hong Kong, the investigators developed and evaluated a cultural-sensitive MBI - Eastern-Based Meditation Intervention (EBMI) for pregnant women. The intervention not only showed significantly positive effects on prenatal distress coping and salivary cortisol reduction, but also associated with positive infant outcomes, including a higher cord blood cortisol level at birth and a less difficult temperament. Higher cord blood cortisol levels are believed to protect against the development of neonatal health abnormalities. While the efficacy of prenatal MBI has been revealed in the past decade, the availability and usage of the programme remain low for various practical reasons. Moreover, providing only a limited number of lessons, mostly in the second trimester, seems insufficient. It is highly desirable to provide extended support so as to ensure continued mindfulness practice in both pre and postnatal period. Considering the predicaments of pregnant woman/new mother, a guided mobile-based MBI appears to be more feasible than the traditional face-to-face mode. Grounded on EBMI, the investigators developed and satisfactorily piloted a guided mobile-based perinatal mindfulness intervention (GMBPMI). OBJECTIVE and DESIGN The project aims to rigorously evaluate GMBPMI. The research adopts a parallel-armed, randomized controlled trial design. To control for confounding effects, such as attention and placebo effect, the trial will utilize an active control group. Participants in the control group will receive psychoeducation on perinatal care mimic the schedule and level of support of the experimental group.The target sample size is 198. Pregnant women in the second trimester will be recruited to the program. With the support of a trained research assistant (RA), participants can take the 6 weekly EBMI lessons online flexibly at home. The RA will provide continued prompt and support for mindfulness practice to each participant till 5 weeks postpartum. The RA is backed up by the PI and co-I's who are experienced mental health practitioners and mindfulness teachers. One of them is an experienced obstetrics and gynaecology specialist. EXPECTED OUTCOME In Hong Kong, around 50,000 newborn babies are delivered each year. To meet the service needs of this scale, it is imperative for us to develop a cost-effective, accessible and acceptable intervention, tailored to the predicaments of women during the perinatal period. To address the barrier and cost issues, a guided mobile-based perinatal mindfulness intervention appears to be a good choice. If the model is shown to be effective, it can be a practical solution to a large scale mental health issue - benefiting women significantly during pregnancy, as well as enhancing the subsequent mental health outcomes of these women and the well-being of their babies.

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