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Postpartum Outcomes and Formal Mindfulness Practice in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Perinatal Women

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Abstract

Anxiety is common during pregnancy and associated with poorer outcomes for mother and child. Our single-arm pilot study of an 8-week mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) intervention for pregnant women with elevated anxiety showed significant pre- to post-intervention improvements in anxiety, depression, worry, mindfulness, and self-compassion. It remains unclear whether these improvements are maintained postpartum and whether amount of formal mindfulness practice is correlated with outcomes. The current study examined whether (1) improvements in psychosocial outcomes were maintained 3 months postpartum; (2) women were adherent to formal practice recommendations; and (3) amount of mindfulness practice was correlated with outcomes. Twenty-three pregnant women (M age = 33.5, SD = 4.40; 75% White; 71% with generalized anxiety disorder) completed home practice logs throughout the intervention, and self-report measures before and after the intervention and 3 months postpartum. Results indicated that previously reported post-intervention improvements in anxiety, worry, mindfulness, and self-compassion were maintained postpartum (p’s < .05), and reductions in depression further improved (p < .001). Participants were generally adherent to mindfulness practice recommendations during the intervention (54–80% weekly adherence; M = 17.31 total practice hours [SD = 7.45]), and many continued practicing 1 week post-intervention (91%) and postpartum (55%). Mindfulness practice during the intervention was not significantly correlated with any outcome at post-intervention or postpartum. Mindfulness practice postpartum was only marginally related to improved worry postpartum (p = .05). MBCT may be associated with maintained improvements in psychosocial outcomes for women during pregnancy and postpartum, but the role of mindfulness practice is unclear. Research using larger samples and randomized controlled designs is needed.

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Funding

This study was supported by funding from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH 2T32AT000051-6; Luberto) and National Cancer Institute (NCI 1K24CA197382; Park) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (1R21HD065156-01; Goodman).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), 15 Parkman Street, Boston, MA, 02114-3117, USA

    Christina M. Luberto & Elyse R. Park

  2. MGH Benson-Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine, 151 Merrimac St, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Christina M. Luberto & Elyse R. Park

  3. MGH Institute for Health Professions, 36 1st Ave, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA

    Janice H. Goodman

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  1. Christina M. Luberto
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  2. Elyse R. Park
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Contributions

CML completed the data analyses and wrote the paper; ERP assisted with the data analyses and edited the paper; JHG designed and executed the study, contributed to writing and editing the paper.

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Correspondence to Christina M. Luberto.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The Partners IRB at Massachusetts General Hospital provided IRB approval for this study.

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All participants completed IRB-approved informed consent procedures before participating in the study.

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Luberto, C.M., Park, E.R. & Goodman, J.H. Postpartum Outcomes and Formal Mindfulness Practice in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Perinatal Women. Mindfulness 9, 850–859 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-017-0825-8

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