Effects of Digital Mindfulness Training for Couples on Psychological Distress and Infant Neuropsychological...

Maternal psychological distress during pregnancy is associated with unfavorable infant outcomes. Although mindfulness-based interventions can effectively alleviate such distress, barriers often limit access to face-to-face interventions. Psychological distress among partners is also common during pregnancy and affects maternal mental health and the parent-child relationship. However, corresponding research remains scarce.

We evaluated the effectiveness of a digital mindfulness-based intervention for expectant parents (dMBI-EP) in reducing parental psychological distress and improving infant neuropsychological performance.

We recruited 160 couples in this randomized controlled trial who were expecting their first child, with the pregnant women at 12-20 weeks of gestation. The couples were randomized into a dMBI-EP group (n=80) receiving regular perinatal care plus a 6-week intervention delivered through a WeChat mini-program and a control group (n=80) receiving regular perinatal care only. The primary outcomes were parental psychological distress symptoms (depression, anxiety, and perceived stress) assessed at baseline (T1), 2 weeks after completion of the intervention (T2), and 6 weeks post partum (T3). Secondary outcomes included other parental psychological outcomes (fatigue, sleep problems, marital intimacy, and parental-fetal bonding) assessed at T1 and T2, and infant neuropsychological outcomes assessed at T3.

The study included 160 pregnant women (mean age 26.89, SD 2.78 years) and their 160 partners (mean age 29.01 years, SD 3.21). For pregnant women in the intervention group, the average levels of depression, anxiety, and perceived stress shifted from 9.28 (SD 5.50), 5.04 (SD 3.39), and 14.85 (SD 5.46) to 6.40 (SD 4.64), 3.90 (SD 3.00), and 11.50 (SD 5.76), respectively. In the control group, the corresponding levels shifted from 10.04 (SD 4.71), 5.84 (SD 3.70), and 14.91 (SD 5.08) to 9.84 (SD 5.86), 5.66 (SD 4.14), and 15.53 (SD 6.23). The mean between-group differences for depression, anxiety, and perceived stress were -3.56 (Cohen d=0.65; P<.001), -1.80 (Cohen d=0.49; P=.002), and -4.01 (Cohen d=0.67; P<.001) at T2, respectively. For intervention group partners, the average levels of depression, anxiety, and perceived stress shifted from 6.94 (SD 5.45), 3.00 (SD 3.20), and 13.46 (SD 5.98) to 5.39 (SD 4.69), 3.11 (SD 3.41), and 11.53 (SD 7.96), respectively, whereas the corresponding levels shifted from 6.13 (SD 4.38), 3.65 (SD 3.09), and 12.95 (SD 5.34) to 7.28 (SD 5.39), 4.17 (SD 3.81), and 12.67 (SD 6.04) in the control group. The mean between-group difference in depression at T2 was -1.95 (Cohen d=0.38; P=.006). Moreover, the average scores of infants' activity level, approach, intensity of reaction, quality of mood, distractibility, and adaptability at 6 weeks post partum were significantly higher in the control than in the intervention group (2-tailed t₁₂₂=2.330-5.124; all P<.05), with Cohen d ranging from 0.42 to 0.92.

The dMBI-EP reduced the scores of psychological distress in couples, with potentially sustained benefits extending into the early postpartum period, and may contribute to more favorable infant neuropsychological development outcomes.

Chinese Clinical Trial Register ChiCTR2200059598; https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=162809.