Effect of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program on stress, anxiety, and childbirth fear in pregnant women diagnosed with COVID-19.
Esra Güney, Sıdıka Özlem Cengizhan, Esra Karataş Okyay and 2 others
PMID 35219222WHAT IT FOUND
Pregnant women diagnosed with COVID-19 who were assigned to a four-week live online mindfulness program had lower prenatal distress, anxiety and childbirth fear than controls.
Prenatal distress was the primary outcome, but only immediate post-program data were collected.
Key findings
01Posttest prenatal distress scores were lower in the experimental MBSR group than in the control group (7.47 vs 13.97).
02Posttest anxiety and childbirth fear scores were also lower in the experimental MBSR group than in the control group (BAI 6.50 vs 14.47; CAQ 26.38 vs 36.11).
03Mean distress, anxiety and childbirth fear scores in the control group also decreased significantly.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was small, single-site and limited to pregnant women with recent PCR-positive COVID-19, internet access, no psychiatric problem and gestational age within the study range, so it cannot be generalised to all pregnant women. Follow-up was only immediate posttest; one-month and postnatal effects were not assessed. No blinding is described, and all outcomes were self-reported. No attention-matched control is described, and the control group scores also decreased, so some improvement may reflect time, attention or other factors. The MBSR program included live sessions, WhatsApp videos, home assignments and support, so the effect of any single component cannot be separated. Baseline anxiety was higher in the experimental group than in the control group (p = 0.003). 18 of 102 women who met inclusion criteria were excluded, including 6 who did not continue sessions and 5 with incomplete forms. The Turkish versions of NuPDQ, BAI and CAQ have no cut-off points, so clinical thresholds for scores are not available.
Declared interests
No specific grant was received, and authors declared no conflicts of interest. One author, a specialist midwife, delivered the free MBSR program.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that live online mindfulness sessions alone caused the improvements. The program also included WhatsApp meditation videos, home assignments and researcher support, no attention-matched control is described, and follow-up was only immediate.