Mindfulness interventions during pregnancy: A narrative review

Author(s)

Lucena, Leandro ^[1] ; Frange, Cristina ^[2] ; Amorim Pinto, Ana Claudia ^[1] ; Andersen, Monica Levy ^[1] ; Tufik, Sergio ^[1] ; Hachul, Helena ^{[1, 3]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Sao Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Psychobiol, BR-04023062 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Sao Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Neurol & Neurosurg, BR-04039002 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Univ Fed Sao Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Gynecol, BR-04024002 Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Review article
• Source: JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE-JIM; v. 18, n. 6, p. 470-477, NOV 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 2

Abstract

Pregnancy is a period of major transformations in a woman's life; increased stress, and mood and sleep disorders are frequent. This review evaluates mindfulness interventions during pregnancy and their ability to help manage stress, anxiety, depression, emotional regulation, level of mindfulness and sleep quality. A search of English language scientific literature relevant to mindfulness interventions for pregnant women was conducted using PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science, without restriction on publication date. Inclusion criteria were randomized clinical trials with pregnant women, using mindfulness as an intervention for at least three weeks, in one of our main areas of interest, and using only validated scales to measure outcomes. Two hundred and thirty studies were identified in our searches of research databases, and thirteen were included in our analysis. We found a large diversity of mindfulness programs, heterogeneity among the instruments used to evaluate outcomes, and inconsistency in the gestational periods used in the studies. Mindfulness interventions were beneficial for stress, anxiety and depression. Mindfulness was also effective when applied in pregnant women with a history of depression or experiencing depression. Considering emotional regulation and the level of mindfulness, there were signs of improvement, but more studies are needed. None of the studies evaluated sleep quality. Our review provides information about current mindfulness programs, an overview of the effects of mindfulness interventions, a description of the measurements used so far, and recommendations for developing high-quality mindfulness protocols for pregnant women. (C) 2020 Shanghai Changhai Hospital. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. All rights reserved. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/18722-5 - Study of the association between insomnia and musculoskeletal pain in postmenopausal women
• Grantee: Cristina Mattos Pereira Frange
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate