A Window Into Vulnerability and Support: At-Risk Mothers' Perinatal Experiences and Perspectives on mHealth-Based...

To examine the perinatal experiences of at-risk mothers and their engagement with mobile-health-based care.

A qualitative descriptive study.

One-to-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 at-risk mothers, defined as those who were single, had low income, were at risk of depression, had adverse childhood experiences, gave birth to a baby with congenital disorders, or had a history of mental health conditions. Participants were purposively sampled at 6 months postpartum from a tertiary public hospital in Singapore between February and September 2024. Interviews continued until data saturation was achieved, were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis.

The study identified four overarching themes: (a) Me and my baby versus the world, (b) navigating vulnerability and strength in motherhood, (c) generational tensions in modern parenting and (d) reimagining perinatal care for every mother. Across the perinatal period, both intervention and control group mothers reported social isolation, emotional and physical strain and challenges balancing traditional family expectations with modern parenting practices. While mothers in the intervention group described receiving holistic support through the SMART program, those in the control group relied on ad hoc sources of support, such as social media platforms.

At-risk mothers experienced significant challenges during the perinatal period, and those who used a mobile-health-based perinatal intervention felt supported through its peer support and multimedia educational resources.

Mobile-health-based interventions can be integral aspects of standard nursing care. Future researchers must ensure that support rendered to at-risk mothers is culturally compatible and specific to the psychosocial vulnerabilities they experience. Increased contact and funding are vital, whereas artificial intelligence, multiple shared access and health monitoring trackers can shape future perinatal interventions.

A mobile-health-based perinatal intervention can have an enormous positive impact on the psychological well-being of vulnerable mothers worldwide.

This study followed the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) checklist.

This study did not include patient or public involvement in its design, conduct or reporting.

ClinicalTrials.gov (Registration ID: NCT06363019). Registered 4/12/23, first recruitment on 26/02/2024.