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Wellbeing in Pregnancy: Evaluating an Intervention to Improve Women's Emotional Wellbeing in Pregnancy

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Peripartum Period
Pregnant Women
Mental Health
Interventions
Other: Wellbeing Plan
Other: Control task
Registration Number
NCT02523157
Lead Sponsor
City, University of London
Brief Summary

The Wellbeing in Pregnancy (WiP) project is an online pilot randomized controlled trial which aims to evaluate an intervention to improve women's emotional wellbeing in pregnancy.

Detailed Description

It is estimated that mental health problems affect 10-20% of postnatal women. Many of these women do not seek help for their mental health for numerous reasons, including lack of awareness about symptoms, available treatments, and stigma. The Wellbeing Plan is a brief self-help leaflet developed by experts in perinatal mental health, and is designed to improve emotional wellbeing of women during and after pregnancy by providing information, raising awareness, helping a woman identify her own symptoms, provide coping strategies, and identify key people who can support the woman during this time. The Wellbeing in Pregnancy project is a online pilot randomized controlled trial which aims to evaluate the efficacy of the Wellbeing Plan in improving women's emotional wellbeing in pregnancy.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
Female
Target Recruitment
600
Inclusion Criteria
  • 26-38 weeks pregnant
  • Sufficient proficiency in English to understand and complete the Wellbeing Plan
Exclusion Criteria
  • None

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
SINGLE_GROUP
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
InterventionWellbeing PlanWellbeing Plan
ControlControl taskControl task. Information about physical health in pregnancy, matched for readability (Flesch score) and length/duration with the Wellbeing Plan
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Changes in knowledge and beliefs about perinatal mental health from baseline at 1 monthBaseline to 1 month

Knowledge and beliefs about perinatal mental health will be measured using a 12-item self-report questionnaire scored on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 = Strongly agree to 5 = Strongly disagree. It has been developed in consultation with the research team and with a parental advisory group. It will explore women's knowledge and beliefs about perinatal mental health problems, including perceived stigma, incidence of psychological distress in the perinatal period, as well as knowledge and beliefs regarding sources of potential support for women.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Changes in mood from baseline at 1 monthBaseline to 1 month

Small changes in mood will be examined using the UWIST Mood Adjective Checklist (UMACL; Mathews, Jones \& Chamberlain, 1990). The UMACL includes 24 mood adjectives. Participants indicate whether each adjective relates to their current mood on a 4-point scale with higher scores indicating stronger mood. It has 3 subscales of tense arousal (8 items), energetic arousal (8 items) and hedonic tone (8 items), which have been confirmed by factor analysis. For this study, the items relating to energetic arousal will be omitted, as energy levels will be affected by the late pregnancy stage/early postpartum period.

Changes in mood from baseline at 6 weeks postpartumBaseline to 6 weeks postpartum

Small changes in mood will be examined using the UWIST Mood Adjective Checklist (UMACL; Mathews, Jones \& Chamberlain, 1990). The UMACL includes 24 mood adjectives. Participants indicate whether each adjective relates to their current mood on a 4-point scale with higher scores indicating stronger mood. It has 3 subscales of tense arousal (8 items), energetic arousal (8 items) and hedonic tone (8 items), which have been confirmed by factor analysis. For this study, the items relating to energetic arousal will be omitted, as energy levels will be affected by the late pregnancy stage/early postpartum period.

Changes in general psychological health from baseline at 1 monthBaseline to 1 month

General psychological health will be measured using the CORE-10 (Barkham et al, 2013; Connell \& Barkham, 2007).

Changes in general psychological health from baseline at 6 weeks postpartumBaseline to 6 weeks postpartum

General psychological health will be measured using the CORE-10 (Barkham et al, 2013; Connell \& Barkham, 2007).

Changes in depressive symptoms from baseline at 1 monthBaseline to 1 month

The Whooley questions (NICE, 2014) will be used to measure clinically relevant depression.

Changes in depressive symptoms from baseline at 6 weeks postpartumBaseline to 6 weeks postpartum

The Whooley questions (NICE, 2014) will be used to measure clinically relevant depression.

Changes in general anxiety symptoms from baseline at 1 monthBaseline to 1 month

The GAD-2 (Kroenke et al, 2007) will be used to measure clinically relevant anxiety.

Changes in general anxiety symptoms from baseline at 6 weeks postpartumBaseline to 6 weeks postpartum

The GAD-2 (Kroenke et al, 2007) will be used to measure clinically relevant anxiety.

Changes in perceived support from baseline at 1 monthBaseline to 1 month

Perceived support will be measured using the Maternity Social Support Scale (MSSS) (Webster et al, 2000). The MSSS is a 6-item self-report questionnaire rated on a 5-point Likert scale which measures perceived social support in the prenatal period. It examines the woman's relationship with her partner, exploring the nature of the relationship, in addition to perceived support from family and friends.

Changes in perceived support from baseline at 6 weeks postpartumBaseline to 6 weeks postpartum

Perceived support will be measured using the Maternity Social Support Scale (MSSS) (Webster et al, 2000). The MSSS is a 6-item self-report questionnaire rated on a 5-point Likert scale which measures perceived social support in the prenatal period. It examines the woman's relationship with her partner, exploring the nature of the relationship, in addition to perceived support from family and friends.

Changes in help-seeking behaviors from baseline at 1 monthBaseline to 1 month

Help-seeking behaviours will be assessed by asking women if they have spoken to anyone about their feelings, if they have been worried about their mental wellbeing.

Changes in help-seeking behaviors from baseline at 6 weeks postpartumBaseline to 6 weeks postpartum

Help-seeking behaviours will be assessed by asking women if they have spoken to anyone about their feelings, if they have been worried about their mental wellbeing.

Changes in knowledge and beliefs about perinatal mental health from baseline to 6 weeks postpartumBaseline to 6 weeks postpartum

Knowledge and beliefs about perinatal mental health will be measured using a 12-item self-report questionnaire scored on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 = Strongly agree to 5 = Strongly disagree. It has been developed in consultation with the research team and with a parental advisory group. It will explore women's knowledge and beliefs about perinatal mental health problems, including perceived stigma, incidence of psychological distress in the perinatal period, as well as knowledge and beliefs regarding sources of potential support for women.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

City University London

🇬🇧

London, United Kingdom

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