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The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Interventions in the Perinatal Period: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

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  • Billie Lever Taylor
  • Kate Cavanagh
  • Clara Strauss

Abstract

Perinatal mental health difficulties are associated with adverse consequences for parents and infants. However, the potential risks associated with the use of psychotropic medication for pregnant and breastfeeding women and the preferences expressed by women for non-pharmacological interventions mean it is important to ensure that effective psychological interventions are available. It has been argued that mindfulness-based interventions may offer a novel approach to treating perinatal mental health difficulties, but relatively little is known about their effectiveness with perinatal populations. This paper therefore presents a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions for reducing depression, anxiety and stress and improving mindfulness skills in the perinatal period. A systematic review identified seventeen studies of mindfulness-based interventions in the perinatal period, including both controlled trials (n = 9) and pre-post uncontrolled studies (n = 8). Eight of these studies also included qualitative data. Hedge’s g was used to assess uncontrolled and controlled effect sizes in separate meta-analyses, and a narrative synthesis of qualitative data was produced. Pre- to post-analyses showed significant reductions in depression, anxiety and stress and significant increases in mindfulness skills post intervention, each with small to medium effect sizes. Completion of the mindfulness-based interventions was reasonable with around three quarters of participants meeting study-defined criteria for engagement or completion where this was recorded. Qualitative data suggested that participants viewed mindfulness interventions positively. However, between-group analyses failed to find any significant post-intervention benefits for depression, anxiety or stress of mindfulness-based interventions in comparison to control conditions: effect sizes were negligible and it was conspicuous that intervention group participants did not appear to improve significantly more than controls in their mindfulness skills. The interventions offered often deviated from traditional mindfulness-based cognitive therapy or mindfulness-based stress reduction programmes, and there was also a tendency for studies to focus on healthy rather than clinical populations, and on antenatal rather than postnatal populations. It is argued that these and other limitations with the included studies and their interventions may have been partly responsible for the lack of significant between-group effects. The implications of the findings and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Billie Lever Taylor & Kate Cavanagh & Clara Strauss, 2016. "The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Interventions in the Perinatal Period: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(5), pages 1-29, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0155720
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0155720
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Clara Strauss & Kate Cavanagh & Annie Oliver & Danelle Pettman, 2014. "Mindfulness-Based Interventions for People Diagnosed with a Current Episode of an Anxiety or Depressive Disorder: A Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(4), pages 1-13, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Lili Huang & Yunzhi Zhao & Chunfang Qiang & Bozhen Fan, 2018. "Is cognitive behavioral therapy a better choice for women with postnatal depression? A systematic review and meta-analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(10), pages 1-16, October.
    2. McDaid, David & Park, A-La & Wahlbeck, Kristian, 2019. "The economic case for the prevention of mental illness," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 100054, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    3. Allysa D. Quick & Irene Tung & Kate Keenan & Alison E. Hipwell, 2023. "Psychological Well-Being Across the Perinatal Period: Life Satisfaction and Flourishing in a Longitudinal Study of Young Black and White American Women," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 1283-1301, March.
    4. Fallon Cluxton-Keller & Martha L Bruce, 2018. "Clinical effectiveness of family therapeutic interventions in the prevention and treatment of perinatal depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(6), pages 1-18, June.
    5. Maiken Pontoppidan & Lene Nygaard & Jonas Cuzulan Hirani & Mette Thorsager & Mette Friis-Hansen & Deborah Davis & Ellen Aagaard Nohr, 2024. "Effects on Child Development and Parent–Child Interaction of the FACAM Intervention: A Randomized Controlled Study of an Interdisciplinary Intervention to Support Women in Vulnerable Positions through," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(5), pages 1-17, May.

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