Effect of mindfulness meditation on depression during pregnancy: A meta-analysis
Frontiers in Psychology September 14, 2022 Yuchao Li, Jinghui Chen, Baoxia Chen et al.
Mindfulness meditation reduces depression during pregnancy. A meta-analysis of 10 randomized controlled trials with 658 participants found a positive effect (standardized mean difference = −0.786). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy was the most effective intervention. The best results came from programs lasting less than 4 weeks, applied throughout pregnancy, with expert guidance fewer than 6 times per week for sessions under 60 minutes, plus daily 30-minute homework. High heterogeneity across studies was partly due to different depression measurement tools, notably the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Mindfulness meditation can help prevent and reduce pregnancy depression and may serve as an auxiliary clinical treatment.