Effectiveness of a Mindfulness and Compassion Intervention for Pregnant Women and Their Partners for the Prevention of Stress and Depression During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

Effectiveness of a Mindfulness and Compassion Intervention for Pregnant Women and Their Partners for the Prevention of Stress and Depression During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

Effectiveness of a Mindfulness and Compassion Group Intervention Applied to Pregnant Women and Their Partners to Decrease Stress, Negative Affect and Depression During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding. Controlled and Randomized Study

The aim of this study is to assess a mindfulness and compassion group intervention for pregnant women and their partners (8 weeks) for the prevention, reduction and treatment of stress, negative affect and depression in pregnancy and breastfeeding. This group intervention will also be compared with a Treatment as usual (TAU) group consisting in a childbirth education class taught by the Health Center midwife. The principal hypothesis is that the mindfulness and compassion intervention will be more effective than TAU.

The aim of this study is to assess a mindfulness and compassion group intervention for pregnant women and their partners (8 weeks) for the prevention, reduction and treatment of stress, negative affect and depression in pregnancy and breastfeeding. There will be two groups: A face to face mindfulness and compassion intervention for pregnant women in their second trimester of pregnancy and their partners in group format (8 weeks) based in the Mindfulness Based Childbirth and Parenting program from Nancy Bardacke. This group will also receive in their third trimester of pregnancy the childbirth education classes taught by midwives (6-8 weeks) that every pregnant woman normally attends to in the National Health Care System in Spain (TAU). A control group that will receive only the childbirth education class by midwives (TAU) group consisting in a childbirth education class taught by the Health Center midwife at the third trimester of pregnancy. Each group will be composed of 60 participants with a total sample of 120. The principal hypothesis is that the mindfulness and compassion intervention will be more effective than TAU in the decrease of stress, negative affect and depression and in the increase of positive affect during pregnancy and breastfeeding. The differences between the intervention and control group will be analyzed. Finally, a qualitative study will be conducted.

TAU + mindfulness applied face to face 8 sessions of 120 minutes/session Mindfulness and Compassion based intervention applied in groups of 12-15 people in traditional format. Written material and sound recordings will be offered as support elements. The estimated duration of the face to face program is two months.

Usual medical treatment (TAU) In this group the midwife will apply the usual treatment (childbirth education class in the third trimester of pregnancy).

TAU + mindfulness applied face to face 8 sessions of 120 minutes/session Mindfulness and Compassion based intervention applied in groups of 12-15 people in traditional format. Written material and sound recordings will be offered as support elements. The estimated duration of the face to face program is two months.

Inclusion Criteria: Be at least 18 years old Willingness to participate in the study and signing informed consent Ability to understand and write Spanish. Women will be in their 6 to 25 weeks of pregnancy. All women eligible will be accepted with our without their partner. Exclusion Criteria: Any diagnose of disease that may affect central nervous system (brain pathology, traumatic brain injury, dementia, etc.), Other psychiatric diagnoses or acute psychiatric illness (substance dependence or abuse, history of schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders, eating disorders, etc.), Any medical, infectious or degenerative disease that may affect mood, presence of delusional ideas or hallucinations consistent or not with mood, and suicide risk Currently taking psychopharmacological medication or under psychopharmacological treatment.

Duncan LG, Bardacke N. Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting Education: Promoting Family Mindfulness During the Perinatal Period. J Child Fam Stud. 2010 Apr;19(2):190-202. doi: 10.1007/s10826-009-9313-7. Epub 2009 Oct 10.

Duncan, L.G., Cohn, M.A., Chao, M.T., Cook, J.G., Riccobono, J., & Bardacke, N. (2014a) Mind in labor: Effects of mind/body training on childbirth appraisals and pain medication use during labor. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 20, A17-A17.

Duncan, L.G., Cohn, M.A., Cook, J.G., Hecht, F.M., & Bardacke, N. (2014b) The mind in labor: Employing mindfulness to alleviate fear and pain in childbirth. Poster presented at the 2nd biennial International Symposium for Contemplative Studies. Boston, MA.

Duncan LG, Shaddix C. Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP): Innovation in Birth Preparation to Support Healthy, Happy Families. Int J Birth Parent Educ. 2015 Jan;2(2):30-33. No abstract available.

Duncan LG, Cohn MA, Chao MT, Cook JG, Riccobono J, Bardacke N. Benefits of preparing for childbirth with mindfulness training: a randomized controlled trial with active comparison. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2017 May 12;17(1):140. doi: 10.1186/s12884-017-1319-3.

Sacristan-Martin O, Santed MA, Garcia-Campayo J, Duncan LG, Bardacke N, Fernandez-Alonso C, Garcia-Sacristan G, Garcia-Sacristan D, Barcelo-Soler A, Montero-Marin J. A mindfulness and compassion-based program applied to pregnant women and their partners to decrease depression symptoms during pregnancy and postpartum: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2019 Nov 28;20(1):654. doi: 10.1186/s13063-019-3739-z.