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E-health Intervention in Women With Pregnancy Distress

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Pregnancy Distress
Interventions
Behavioral: eHealth mindfulness intervention
Registration Number
NCT03917745
Lead Sponsor
Tilburg University
Brief Summary

The study aims to reduce the levels of distress (depression and anxiety) during pregnancy. The study investigates the effectiveness of an eHealth pregnancy distress-reducing mindfulness training in women with pregnancy distress.

Detailed Description

During pregnancy, women are at risk for mental health problems: up to 20% present with distress symptoms (depression and/or anxiety). Apart from the adverse effects on the woman herself, pregnancy distress negatively affects pregnancy outcome, infant health, postpartum mother-child interaction and child development.

Mindfulness-based interventions are a type of intervention that is increasingly being used to treat symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression. They are cheap and accessible to the whole population.

Current study aims to examine the effectiveness of a mindfulness training to reduce distress during pregnancy. Women who score above cut off on the Edinburgh Depression Scale (EDS) and Tilburg Pregnancy Distress Scale (TPDS) at 12 weeks of gestation, will be randomly allocated to the intervention or control group. Women in the intervention group will be contacted and invited to participate in the mindfulness-based intervention, which consists of 8 weeks of internet mindfulness training. The control group will receive care as usual.

The primary outcome of the study is: Does the mindfulness internet training "Ontspannen zwanger", offered during pregnancy, reduce pregnancy distress, compared to care as usual? The secondary outcome is: Does the mindfulness internet training result in better mindfulness skills?

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
Female
Target Recruitment
219
Inclusion Criteria
  • Pregnant women (18+y) who have their first antenatal visit < 12 weeks;
  • Score above cut off on the Edinburgh Depression Scale (EDS) and Tilburg Pregnancy Distress Scale (TPDS) at 12 weeks of gestation;
  • Dutch-speaking or understanding Dutch.
Exclusion Criteria
  • Gemelli pregnancy (or higher order pregnancy);
  • Known endocrine disorder before pregnancy (diabetes-I, Rheumatoid arthritis);
  • Severe psychiatric disease (schizophrenia, borderline or bipolar disorder);
  • HIV;
  • Drug or alcohol addiction problems;
  • Any other disease resulting in treatment with drugs that are potentially adverse for the fetus and need careful follow-up during pregnancy;
  • No access to the internet.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
eHealth mindfulness intervention groupeHealth mindfulness intervention8 weeks of internet mindfulness training
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Depressive symptomsDifference between the intervention group en the control group, measured at 28 weeks (after the intervention).

Measured by the 10-item Edinburgh Depression Scale (EDS). The EDS is the most widely used self-rating scale to assess depressive symptoms in the perinatal period. It consists of ten items and three sub-scales: anhedonia, anxiety and depression. The questionnaire has been validated in Dutch pregnant women. The EDS total score ranges from 0 to 30, with higher scores indicating more depressive symptoms.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Negative AffectDifference between the intervention group en the control group, measured at 28 weeks (after the intervention).

Measured by a subscale of the Tilburg Pregnancy Distress Scale (TPDS): Negative Affect, which consists of 10 items. The TPDS has been validated among Dutch pregnant women and it is a reliable measure to assess pregnancy-related emotional distress. The total score ranges from 0 to 30, with higher scores indicating more emotional distress symptoms.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Tilburg University

🇳🇱

Tilburg, Netherlands

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