Impact of a 6-Week Postpartum Text Messaging Program (Essential Coaching for Every Mother) at 6 Months: Follow-Up...

Area of Science:

• Maternal Health
• Perinatal Mental Health
• Digital Health Interventions

Background:

• The Essential Coaching for Every Mother program, an SMS-based intervention, demonstrated short-term improvements in parenting self-efficacy and reduced postpartum anxiety at 6 weeks postpartum.
• The long-term impact of this brief postpartum intervention on maternal mental health and parenting confidence remains largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the sustained effects of the Essential Coaching for Every Mother intervention on parenting self-efficacy, postpartum anxiety, postpartum depression, and perceived social support at 6 months postpartum.
• To compare outcomes between mothers receiving the SMS intervention and those in a usual care control group at the 6-month postpartum mark.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 150 mothers, allocated to either the Essential Coaching for Every Mother intervention or usual care.
• Data collection included validated scales for parenting self-efficacy, postpartum anxiety, postpartum depression, and perceived social support at enrollment and 6 months postpartum.
• Statistical analyses employed analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) and chi-square tests to compare group differences.

Main Results:

• At 6 months postpartum, no statistically significant differences were observed between the intervention and control groups for parenting self-efficacy, postpartum depression, or social support.
• A higher proportion of mothers in the intervention group reported increased postpartum anxiety symptoms at 6 months compared to the control group (45.6% vs. 23.5%, P=.007).
• A total of 139 women completed the primary outcome assessment at 6 months.

Conclusions:

• The positive effects of the Essential Coaching for Every Mother intervention on parenting self-efficacy and postpartum anxiety were not sustained at 6 months postpartum.
• At 6 months postpartum, mothers in both the intervention and control groups exhibited similar levels of parenting self-efficacy, postpartum anxiety, postpartum depression, and social support.
• This suggests that short-term SMS interventions may require longer duration or additional components to achieve lasting improvements in maternal well-being.