The Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention on Mental Health Outcomes in Pregnant Woman: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Yanti Puspita Sari, Yu-Yun Hsu, Tram Thi Bich Nguyen
The journal of nursing research : JNR December 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1097/jnr.0000000000000586 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review and meta-analysis Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 13 |
| Population | Pregnant women |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 12 |
| Key findings | Mindfulness-based interventions have a small but notable effect on mental health in pregnant women, with moderate effects on stress and anxiety and no significant effect on depression. |
Abstract
Pregnancy stress, anxiety, and depression increase the risk of short-term and long-term health problems for the mother and fetus. Mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) is one of the most popular, nonpharmacological interventions used to treat mental health problems. The results of prior research indicate MBI has a less consistent effect on mental health problems in pregnant women. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to clarify and determine the effect of MBI on mental health outcomes in pregnant women. Six databases, including Embase, Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, EBSCOhost, Cochrane Library, and ScienceDirect, were searched from their dates of inception to November 2021. Google Scholar was also used for the literature inquiry. The inclusion criteria followed the PICO (Patient/Problem, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome) model in terms of only including studies that used mindfulness therapy, reported mental health outcomes, and applied randomized controlled trial and quasi-experimental approaches. The Cochrane risk of bias tool was applied to evaluate the quality of the studies. Review Manager 5 software with random effect with a standardized mean difference (SMD) was used to analyze level of effect. Thirteen studies (10 randomized controlled trials and three quasi-experimental studies) were included. MBI was found to have a small effect on mental health outcomes in pregnant women (p < .0001, SMDs = -0.48, 95% CI [-0.74, -0.22], I2 = 87%). Specifically, MBI had moderate effects on stress and anxiety (SMDs = -0.59, 95% CI [-1.09, -0.09], and SMDs = -0.55, 95% CI [-1.00, -0.10], respectively) and no significant effect on depression (SMDs = -0.33, 95% CI [-0.74, 0.08]). MBIs have a small but notable effect on mental health in pregnant women. The high heterogeneity found in this review may reflect the different types and durations of interventions used. Notably, none of the studies in the review examined intervention effects by trimester. Future research should use larger sample sizes and assess the effects of therapy for each trimester of pregnancy.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 8
- Effect of technology-supported mindfulness-based interventions for maternal depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis with implementation perspectives for resource-limited settings. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth February 13, 2025
- Feasibility of Modified Mindfulness Training Program for Antenatal Depression and Perceived Stress Among Expectant Mothers with Male Child Preference. Healthcare March 7, 2025
- Mindfulness for maternal health: A systematic umbrella review of effectiveness for addressing depression and anxiety symptoms Journal of Affective Disorders Reports October 11, 2026
- Mindfulness-based interventions for perinatal depression, anxiety, and stress: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, with an exploratory subgroup signal by delivery mode Frontiers in Psychiatry August 4, 2026
- Mindfulness-Based Programs for Perinatal Depression, Anxiety, Stress, and Psychological Well-Being: A Systematic Meta-Review Mindfulness July 22, 2026
and 3 more in the library
Cites 15
- Prospects for a clinical science of mindfulness-based intervention. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
- Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Psychiatry. FOCUS: The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry January 24, 2018
- Don’t be afraid, try to meditate- potential effects on neural activity and connectivity of psilocybin-assisted mindfulness-based intervention for social anxiety disorder: A systematic review Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews June 6, 2022
- Effect of intensive weekend mindfulness-based intervention on BDNF, mitochondria function, and anxiety. A randomized, crossover clinical trial. Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology August 1, 2022
- Effects of two mindfulness based interventions on the distinct phases of the stress response across different physiological systems. Biological Psychology July 2022
and 10 more in the library