Effectiveness of Smartphone-Based Mindfulness Training on Maternal Perinatal Depression: Randomized Controlled Trial
Open accessPublished version of a preprint
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite potential for benefit, mindfulness remains an emergent area in perinatal mental health care, and evidence of smartphone-based mindfulness training for perinatal depression is especially limited. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a smartphone-based mindfulness training intervention during pregnancy on perinatal depression and other mental health problems with a randomized controlled design. METHODS Pregnant adult women who were potentially at risk of perinatal depression were recruited from an obstetrics clinic and randomized to a self-guided 8-week smartphone-based mindfulness training during pregnancy group or attention control group. Mental health indicators were surveyed over five time points through the postpartum period by online self-assessment. The assessor who collected the follow-up data was blind to the assignment. The primary outcome was depression as measured by symptoms, and secondary outcomes were anxiety, stress, affect, sleep, fatigue, memory, and fear. RESULTS A total of 168 participants were randomly allocated to the mindfulness training (n=84) or attention control (n=84) group. The overall dropout rate was 34.5%, and 52.4% of the participants completed the intervention. Mindfulness training participants reported significant improvement of depression (group × time interaction χ24=16.2, P=.003) and secondary outcomes (χ24=13.1, P=.01 for anxiety; χ24=8.4, P=.04 for positive affect) compared to attention control group participants. Medium between-group effect sizes were found on depression and positive affect at postintervention, and on anxiety in late pregnancy (Cohen d=0.47, –0.49, and 0.46, respectively). Mindfulness training participants reported a decreased risk of positive depressive symptom (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale [EPDS] score>9) compared to attention control participants postintervention (odds ratio [OR] 0.391, 95% CI 0.164-0.930) and significantly higher depression symptom remission with different EPDS reduction scores from preintervention to postintervention (OR 3.471-27.986). Parity did not show a significant moderating effect; however, for nulliparous women, mindfulness training participants had significantly improved depression symptoms compared to nulliparous attention control group participants (group × time interaction χ24=18.1, P=.001). CONCLUSIONS Smartphone-based mindfulness training is an effective intervention in improving maternal perinatal depression for those who are potentially at risk of perinatal depression in early pregnancy. Nulliparous women are a promising subgroup who may benefit more from mindfulness training. CLINICALTRIAL Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR1900028521; http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=33474
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Prenatal mindfulness interventions have potential benefits for improving perinatal depression.
“recent pilot studies showed that prenatal mindfulness interventions have potential benefits for improving the emergence of perinatal depression [39,40].”
From Acceptance Mindfulness-Trait as a Protective Factor for Post-Natal Depression: A Preliminary Research (2022) · cites this paper as [39]
Mindfulness level can be improved by programs based on mindfulness meditation.
“mindfulness level can be improved by program based on mindfulness meditation.”
From Acceptance Mindfulness-Trait as a Protective Factor for Post-Natal Depression: A Preliminary Research (2022) · cites this paper as [39]
The Methods > Intervention section describes a program that includes mindful meditation, but the Methods > Measures and Results sections report depression, anxiety, and positive affect—not participants’ mindfulness levels. Searches for mindfulness level, mindfulness awareness, and trait mindfulness found no passage showing that the program improved mindfulness itself; pages are not specified in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.76)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
The PHQ-9: Validity of a brief depression severity measure
Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. W. (2001) · Journal of General Internal Medicine · doi:10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.016009606.x · Cited by 44,910 · see citing works
The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: a new instrument for psychiatric practice and research
Buysse, D. J., Reynolds, C. F., Monk, T. H., Berman, S. R., & Kupfer, D. J. (1989) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/0165-1781(89)90047-4 · Cited by 35,234 · see citing works
A Global Measure of Perceived Stress
Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R. (1983) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.2307/2136404 · Cited by 32,807 · see citing works
Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales.
Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.54.6.1063 · Cited by 32,433 · see citing works
Detection of Postnatal Depression: Development of the 10-item Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale
Cox, J. L., Holden, J. M., & Sagovsky, R. (1987) · British Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1192/bjp.150.6.782 · Cited by 14,183 · see citing works
(2008) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 7,477 · see citing works
Krupp, L. B. (1989) · Archives of Neurology · doi:10.1001/archneur.1989.00520460115022 · Cited by 6,172 · see citing works
Wherever you go, there you are: Mindfulness meditation in everyday life
Kwee, M. G. T. (1995) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/0005-7967(95)90133-7 · Cited by 2,900 · see citing works
Fisher, J., Cabral de Mello, M., Patel, V., Rahman, A., Tran, T., Holton, S., & Holmes, W. (2012) · Bulletin of the World Health Organization · doi:10.2471/blt.11.091850 · Cited by 1,798 · see citing works
Computer-based psychological treatments for depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Richards, D., & Richardson, T. (2012) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2012.02.004 · Cited by 1,442 · see citing works
Gelaye, B., Rondon, M. B., Araya, R., & Williams, M. A. (2016) · The Lancet Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s2215-0366(16)30284-x · Cited by 1,155 · see citing works
Firth, J., Torous, J., Nicholas, J., Carney, R., Pratap, A., Rosenbaum, S., & Sarris, J. (2017) · World Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/wps.20472 · Cited by 1,097 · see citing works
Spijkerman, M. P. J., Pots, W. T. M., & Bohlmeijer, E. T. (2016) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2016.03.009 · Cited by 975 · cited 2× · see citing works
“29) [18], revealing that smartphone-based mindfulness training is especially suitable for pregnant women, consistent with previous studies assessing pregnant women’s preference for internet-based services [13,14].”
BackgroundResultA tutorial on sensitivity analyses in clinical trials: the what, why, when and how
Thabane, L., Mbuagbaw, L., Zhang, S., Samaan, Z., Marcucci, M., Ye, C., Thabane, M., Giangregorio, L., Dennis, B., Kosa, D., et al. (2013) · BMC Medical Research Methodology · doi:10.1186/1471-2288-13-92 · Cited by 893 · see citing works
Psychometric aspects of the W-DEQ; a new questionnaire for the measurement of fear of childbirth.
Wijma, K., Wijma, B., & Zar, M. (1998) · Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology · doi:10.3109/01674829809048501 · Cited by 811 · see citing works
Deconstructing the construct: a network perspective on psychological phenomena
Schmittmann, V. D., Cramer, A. O. J., Waldorp, L. J., Epskamp, S., Kievit, R. A., & Borsboom, D. (2013) · New Ideas in Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.newideapsych.2011.02.007 · Cited by 740 · see citing works
Psychometric perspectives on diagnostic systems
Borsboom, D. (2008) · Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1002/jclp.20503 · Cited by 691 · see citing works
Crawford, J. R., Smith, G. N., Maylor, E. A., Sala, S. D., & Logie, R. H. (2003) · Memory · doi:10.1080/09658210244000027 · Cited by 465 · see citing works
Internet use by pregnant women seeking pregnancy-related information: a systematic review
Sayakhot, P., & Carolan, M. C. (2016) · BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth · doi:10.1186/s12884-016-0856-5 · Cited by 429 · see citing works
Vieten, C., & Astin, J. (2008) · Archives of Women's Mental Health · doi:10.1007/s00737-008-0214-3 · Cited by 369 · see citing works
Duncan, L. G., & Bardacke, N. (2010) · Journal of Child and Family Studies · doi:10.1007/s10826-009-9313-7 · Cited by 352 · see citing works
Josephine, K., Josefine, L., Philipp, D., David, E., & Harald, B. (2017) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2017.07.021 · Cited by 341 · see citing works
Cavanagh, K., Strauss, C., Forder, L., & Jones, F. (2014) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2014.01.001 · Cited by 340 · cited 2× · see citing works
“In the above-mentioned meta-analysis of self-help mindfulness [45], on average, 27% of the participants were lost to follow up in the postintervention assessment.”
BackgroundGeneralized Estimating Equations in Longitudinal Data Analysis: A Review and Recent Developments
Wang, M. (2014) · Advances in Statistics · doi:10.1155/2014/303728 · Cited by 319 · see citing works
Validation studies of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale for the antenatal period
Kozinszky, Z., & Dudas, R. B. (2015) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2015.01.044 · Cited by 307 · see citing works
Lever Taylor, B., Cavanagh, K., & Strauss, C. (2016) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0155720 · Cited by 284 · see citing works
Mindfulness-based interventions during pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Dhillon, A., Sparkes, E., & Duarte, R. V. (2017) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-017-0726-x · Cited by 239 · see citing works
Dimidjian, S., Goodman, S. H., Felder, J. N., Gallop, R., Brown, A. P., & Beck, A. (2016) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/ccp0000068 · Cited by 223 · see citing works
Randomised controlled pilot trial of mindfulness training for stress reduction during pregnancy
Guardino, C. M., Schetter, C. D., Bower, J. E., Lu, M., & Smalley, S. L. (2013) · Psychology and Health · doi:10.1080/08870446.2013.852670 · Cited by 218 · see citing works
Woolhouse, H., Mercuri, K., Judd, F., & Brown, S. J. (2014) · BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth · doi:10.1186/s12884-014-0369-z · Cited by 212 · see citing works
A prospective examination of depression, anxiety and stress throughout pregnancy
Rallis, S., Skouteris, H., McCabe, M. P., & Milgrom, J. (2014) · Women and Birth · doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2014.08.002 · Cited by 204 · see citing works
Simpson, W., Glazer, M., Michalski, N., Steiner, M., & Frey, B. (2014) · Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie · doi:10.1177/070674371405900806 · Cited by 195 · see citing works
Lau, N., O'Daffer, A., Colt, S., Yi-Frazier, J. P., Palermo, T. M., McCauley, E., & Rosenberg, A. R. (2020) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/17798 · Cited by 174 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Among the popular mental health smartphone apps, mindfulness was considered the most common evidence-based strategy [10] and one of the most frequently used modalities in apps for depression treatment [15].”
BackgroundWasil, A. R., Venturo-Conerly, K. E., Shingleton, R. M., & Weisz, J. R. (2019) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2019.103498 · Cited by 160 · see citing works
Shi, Z., & MacBeth, A. (2017) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-016-0673-y · Cited by 148 · see citing works
Dimidjian, S., Goodman, S. H., Felder, J. N., Gallop, R., Brown, A. P., & Beck, A. (2015) · Archives of Women's Mental Health · doi:10.1007/s00737-014-0468-x · Cited by 118 · see citing works
Matvienko‐Sikar, K., & Dockray, S. (2016) · Women and Birth · doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2016.10.003 · Cited by 117 · see citing works
Preventing Postpartum Depression With Mindful Self-Compassion Intervention
Guo, L., Zhang, J., Li-ping, M., & Zhao, Y. (2019) · The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease · doi:10.1097/nmd.0000000000001096 · Cited by 107 · see citing works
Wang, N., Deng, Z., Wen, L. M., Ding, Y., & He, G. (2019) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/12631 · Cited by 106 · see citing works
Mindfulness and perinatal mental health: A systematic review
Hall, H. G., Beattie, J., Lau, R., East, C., & Anne Biro, M. (2016) · Women and Birth · doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2015.08.006 · Cited by 105 · see citing works
Yang, M., Jia, G., Sun, S., Ye, C., Zhang, R., & Yu, X. (2019) · Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health · doi:10.1111/jmwh.12944 · Cited by 99 · see citing works
The effects of mindfulness interventions on prenatal well-being: A systematic review
Matvienko-Sikar, K., Lee, L., Murphy, G., & Murphy, L. (2016) · Psychology & Health · doi:10.1080/08870446.2016.1220557 · Cited by 98 · see citing works
Mindfulness for pregnancy: a randomised controlled study of online mindfulness during pregnancy
Krusche, A., Dymond, M., Murphy, S. E., & Crane, C. (2018) · Midwifery · doi:10.1016/j.midw.2018.07.005 · Cited by 97 · see citing works
Yazdanimehr, R., Omidi, A., Sadat, Z., & Akbari, H. (2016) · Journal of Caring Sciences · doi:10.15171/jcs.2016.021 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
The Mindful Way Workbook: An 8-Week Program to Free Yourself from Depression and Emotional Distress
Teasdale, J. D., Williams, J. M. G., Segal, Z. V., & Kabat‐Zinn, J. (2013) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 94 · see citing works
Barnett, J., Aguilar, S., Brittner, M. R., & Bonuck, K. A. (2012) · Contemporary Clinical Trials · doi:10.1016/j.cct.2012.06.005 · Cited by 87 · see citing works
Mindfulness-based programme on the psychological health of pregnant women.
Pan, W.-L., Gau, M., Lee, T.-Y., Jou, H., Liu, C.-Y., & Wen, T.-K. (2019) · Women and Birth · doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2018.04.018 · Cited by 83 · see citing works
Vieten, C., Laraia, B. A., Kristeller, J. L., Adler, N. E., Coleman‐Phox, K., Bush, N. R., Wahbeh, H., Duncan, L. G., & Epel, E. S. (2018) · BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth · doi:10.1186/s12884-018-1757-6 · Cited by 78 · see citing works
Fonseca, A., Monteiro, F., Alves, S., Gorayeb, R., & Canavarro, M. C. (2019) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00265 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
Boggs, J. M., Beck, A., Felder, J. N., Dimidjian, S., Metcalf, C. A., & Segal, Z. V. (2014) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.3129 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Depressive symptoms and comorbid problems in pregnancy - results from a population based study
Pampaka, D., Papatheodorou, S. I., AlSeaidan, M., Al Wotayan, R., Wright, R. J., Buring, J. E., Dockery, D. W., & Christophi, C. A. (2018) · Journal of Psychosomatic Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2018.06.011 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
An evaluation of perinatal mental health interventions: An integrative literature review
Lavender, T. J., Ebert, L. M., & Jones, D. (2016) · Women and Birth · doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2016.04.004 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
Felder, J. N., Segal, Z. V., Beck, A. L., Sherwood, N. E., Goodman, S. H., Boggs, J. M., Lemon, E. L., & Dimidjian, S. (2016) · Cognitive and Behavioral Practice · doi:10.1016/j.cbpra.2016.02.002 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Psychiatric Disorders - Trends and Developments
Uehara, T. (2011) · InTech eBooks · doi:10.5772/2330 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Hulsbosch, L. P., Nyklı́ček, I., Potharst, E. S., Meems, M., Boekhorst, M. G. B. M., & Pop, V. J. M. (2020) · BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth · doi:10.1186/s12884-020-2843-0 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Vismara, L., Sechi, C., Neri, M., Paoletti, A. M., & Lucarelli, L. (2020) · Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology · doi:10.1080/02646838.2020.1843612 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Identifying clusters from multidimensional symptom trajectories in postpartum women
Paul, S., & Corwin, E. J. (2019) · Research in Nursing & Health · doi:10.1002/nur.21935 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Antenatal group therapy improves worry and depression symptoms.
Bowen, A., Baetz, M., Schwartz, L., Balbuena, L., & Muhajarine, N. (2014) · PubMed · Cited by 20 · see citing works
van der Riet, P., Francis, L., & Rees, A. (2019) · Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences · doi:10.1111/scs.12762 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Improving the mental health of women and girls: psychiatrists as partners for change
Herrman, H. (2016) · World Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/wps.20316 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Mindfulness: An Intervention for Improving the Health of Mothers and Babies.
Donegan, T. (2015) · PubMed · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Knop, M. R., Hayashi, M., Lin, R., Saing, C. H., Ung, M., Oy, S., Yam, E. L. Y., Zahari, M., & Yi, S. (2024) · BMC Medicine · doi:10.1186/s12916-024-03417-9 · Cited by 122 · see citing works
Lewkowitz, A. K., Whelan, A., Ayala, N. K., Hardi, A., Stoll, C., Battle, C. L., Tuuli, M. G., Ranney, M. L., & Miller, E. S. (2023) · American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology · doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2023.06.028 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
Liu, C., Chen, H., Zhou, F., Long, Q., Wu, K., Lo, L., Hung, T., Liu, C.-Y., & Chiou, W. (2022) · BMC Women s Health · doi:10.1186/s12905-022-01996-4 · Cited by 79 · see citing works
Linardon, J., Messer, M., Goldberg, S. B., & Fuller‐Tyszkiewicz, M. (2023) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2023.102370 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
Linardon, J. (2023) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2023.104421 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Prom, M. C., Denduluri, A., Philpotts, L. L., Rondón, M. B., Borba, C. P. C., Gelaye, B., & Byatt, N. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.859341 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Digital mental health in China: a systematic review
Zhang, X., Lewis, S. W., Firth, J., Xu, C., & Bucci, S. (2021) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291721003731 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Effects of mHealth on the psychosocial health of pregnant women and mothers: a systematic review
Sakamoto, J. L., Carandang, R. R., Kharel, M., Shibanuma, A., Львовна, Я. Е., Александровна, Б. М., & Jimba, M. (2022) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2021-056807 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Leng, L. L., Yin, M. X. C., & Ng, S. M. (2023) · Comprehensive Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.comppsych.2023.152375 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Karyotaki, E., Miguel, C., Panagiotopoulou, O. M., Harrer, M., Seward, N., Sijbrandij, M., Araya, R., Patel, V., & Cuijpers, P. (2023) · Cambridge Prisms Global Mental Health · doi:10.1017/gmh.2023.50 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
Silang, K. A., Sohal, P. R., Bright, K. S., Leason, J., Roos, L., Lebel, C., Giesbrecht, G. F., & Tomfohr-Madsen, L. M. (2022) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/31116 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Zhang, X., Li, Y., Wang, J., Mao, F., Wu, L., Huang, Y., Sun, J., & Cao, F. (2023) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/41298 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
Min, W., Jiang, C., Li, Z., & Wang, Z. (2023) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2023.03.053 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
Pan, W., Lin, L.-C., Kuo, L.-Y., Chiu, M.-J., & Ling, P. (2023) · BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth · doi:10.1186/s12884-023-05873-2 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Systematic review and meta-analysis of adverse events in clinical trials of mental health apps
Linardon, J., Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, M., Firth, J., Goldberg, S. B., Anderson, C., McClure, Z., & Torous, J. (2024) · npj Digital Medicine · doi:10.1038/s41746-024-01388-y · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Yan, H., Wu, Y., & Li, H. (2022) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2022.03.002 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
A meta-analysis of persuasive design, engagement, and efficacy in 92 RCTs of mental health apps
Valentine, L., Hinton, J. D. X., Bajaj, K., Boyd, L., O’Sullivan, S., Sorenson, R. P., Bell, I., Vega, M. S., Liu, P., Peters, W., et al. (2025) · npj Digital Medicine · doi:10.1038/s41746-025-01567-5 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Abdolalipour, S., Mohammad‐Alizadeh‐Charandabi, S., Mashayekh‐Amiri, S., & Mirghafourvand, M. (2023) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2023.04.020 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Mao, F., Sun, Y., Wang, J., Huang, Y., Lu, Y., & Cao, F. (2021) · Asian Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.ajp.2021.102873 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Neo, H. S., Tan, J. H., Ang, W. H. D., & Lau, Y. (2022) · Journal of Psychosomatic Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2022.110790 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Leng, L. L., Yin, M. X. C., Chan, C., & Ng, S. M. (2023) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2023.04.133 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Heterogeneity of Treatment Effects in Internet- and Mobile-Based Interventions for Depression
Terhorst, Y., Kaiser, T., Brakemeier, E., Moshe, I., Philippi, P., Cuijpers, P. J., Baumeister, H., & Sander, L. (2024) · JAMA Network Open · doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.23241 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Ladyman, C., Sweeney, B., Sharkey, K. M., Bei, B., Wright, T., Mooney, H., Huthwaite, M., Cunningham, C. W., Firestone, R. T., & Signal, T. L. (2022) · BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth · doi:10.1186/s12884-022-04844-3 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
The impact of mindfulness apps on psychological processes of change: a systematic review
Macrynikola, N., Mir, Z., Gopal, T., Rodriguez, E., Li, S., Cox, M., Yeh, G. Y., & Torous, J. B. (2024) · npj Mental Health Research · doi:10.1038/s44184-023-00048-5 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Understanding the Online Social Support Dynamics for Postpartum Depression
Progga, F. T., Kumar, A. S., & Rubya, S. (2023) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3544548.3581311 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Li, L., Yue, S., Xu, J., Qiao, J., Redding, S. R., & Ouyang, Y. (2022) · Journal of Clinical Nursing · doi:10.1111/jocn.16399 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Hulsbosch, L. P., Potharst, E. S., Schwabe, I., Boekhorst, M. G. B. M., Pop, V. J. M., & Nyklı́ček, I. (2023) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2023.04.009 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Connectedness: The Updated and Expanded Pillar of Lifestyle Psychiatry and Lifestyle Medicine
Merlo, G., Snellman, L., & Sugden, S. G. (2025) · American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine · doi:10.1177/15598276251345455 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Trapani, S., Caglioni, M., Villa, G., Manara, D. F., & Caruso, R. (2023) · Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine · doi:10.1089/jicm.2023.0114 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
The Impact of a Mindfulness App on Postnatal Distress
Bear, K. A., Barber, C. C., & Medvedev, O. N. (2022) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-022-01992-7 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Zhou, Y., Huang, J., Baker, P. N., Liao, B., & Yu, X. (2022) · BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth · doi:10.1186/s12884-022-05203-y · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Wan Mohd Yunus, W. M. A., Matinolli, H.-M., Waris, O., Upadhyaya, S., Vuori, M., Korpilahti-Leino, T., Ristkari, T., Koffert, T., & Sourander, A. (2022) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/33337 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Mefrouche, M. L., Siegmann, E.-M., Böhme, S., Berking, M., & Kornhuber, J. (2023) · European Journal of Investigation in Health Psychology and Education · doi:10.3390/ejihpe13090122 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Mancinelli, E., Bassi, G., Gabrielli, S., & Salcuni, S. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19159549 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Chen, C., Wang, X., Han, X., & Li, Y. (2023) · Archives of Women s Mental Health · doi:10.1007/s00737-023-01327-y · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Reangsing, C., Punsuwun, S., & Oerther, S. E. (2024) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2024.02.049 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Potsch, L., & Rief, W. (2023) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2023.104455 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Nguyen, N. T., & Pengpid, S. (2025) · Frontiers in Global Women's Health · doi:10.3389/fgwh.2025.1497740 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Yang, S., Yang, S., Duan, K., Tang, Y., Ping, A., Bai, Z.-H., Gao, K., Shen, Y., Chen, M., Yu, R.-L., et al. (2021) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2021.09.099 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Zhang, X., Mao, F., Li, Y., Wang, J., Wu, L., Sun, J., & Cao, F. (2022) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105913 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Tong, A. C. Y., Ho, F. S., Chu, O. H., & Mak, W. W. S. (2023) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/39029 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
A Mindfulness Application for Reducing Prenatal Stress
Porter, A. C., Hunter, S. K., Noonan, K., & Hoffman, M. C. (2022) · Journal of Midwifery & Women s Health · doi:10.1111/jmwh.13359 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Liu, X., Wang, G., & Cao, Y. (2023) · Aging Clinical and Experimental Research · doi:10.1007/s40520-022-02333-3 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Duan, C.-C., Zhang, C., Xu, H.-L., Tao, J., Yu, J.-L., Zhang, D., Wu, S., Xiu, Z., Zeng, W.-T., Zhang, Z.-Y., et al. (2025) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/67386 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Park, S., Cho, H. Y., Park, J. Y., Chung, K., & Jhung, K. (2024) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/56601 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Postpartum Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Yang, M., Song, B., Jiang, Y., Lin, Y., & Liu, J. (2023) · Iranian Journal of Public Health · doi:10.18502/ijph.v52i12.14311 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Prenatal Symptom Cluster of Psychopathology and Associations With Mindfulness and Rumination
Sun, Y., Chen, Q., Li, Y., Wang, J., Bazzano, A. N., & Cao, F. (2022) · The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease · doi:10.1097/nmd.0000000000001485 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Godage, P., Giggins, O. M., Doyle, J., & Byrne, A. (2025) · Oxford Open Digital Health · doi:10.1093/oodh/oqaf006 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Lee, Y., Kim, S., & Choi, S. (2023) · Journal of Occupational Health · doi:10.1002/1348-9585.12402 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
An evaluation of digital intervention for perinatal depression and anxiety: A systematic review
Arifin, S. R. M., Kamaruddin, A., Muhammad, N. A., Nurumal, M. S., Mohadis, H., Hussain, N. H. N., & Wardaningsih, S. (2024) · AIMS Public Health · doi:10.3934/publichealth.2024025 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Worku, B. T., Abdulahi, M., Amenu, D., & Bonnechère, B. (2025) · BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth · doi:10.1186/s12884-025-07286-9 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Ching, H., Chua, J. Y. X., Chua, J. S., & Shorey, S. (2023) · Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing · doi:10.1111/wvn.12673 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Smith, R. D., Dang, W., Shen, S., Hung, S. C., Ip, H. L., Kwok, J. Y. Y., Choi, E. P. H., Fong, D., Ali, S., Wilson, C. A., et al. (2024) · Asian Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.ajp.2024.104316 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Effect of negative emotion on prospective memory and its different components
Guo, Y., Gan, J., & Li, Y. (2024) · The Journal of General Psychology · doi:10.1080/00221309.2024.2349782 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Tsoi, E. W. S., Mak, W. W. S., Ho, C. Y. Y., & Yeung, G. T. Y. (2022) · JMIR Human Factors · doi:10.2196/35057 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Firrahmawati, L., Wasityastuti, W., Kandarina, B. J. I., Marti, E., Chandra, L. A., & Sulistianingsih, A. (2025) · BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth · doi:10.1186/s12884-025-07523-1 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Developing a Guided Web App for Postpartum Depression Symptoms: User-Centered Design Approach
Franco, P., Olhaberry, M., Muzard, A., Harismendy, Á., & Kelders, S. M. (2024) · JMIR Formative Research · doi:10.2196/56319 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Brocklehurst, S. P., Morse, A. R., Cruwys, T., Batterham, P. J., Leach, L., Robertson, A. M., Sahib, A., Burke, C. T., Nguyen, J., & Calear, A. L. (2024) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/53236 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Wi, D., Lee, R. Y., & Kantrowitz‐Gordon, I. (2025) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0322931 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Kulke, J. K., Fuhrmann, L. M., Berking, M., Ebert, D. D., Baumeister, H., Derfiora, A., Veldhouse, A., & Weisel, K. K. (2025) · The Lancet Digital Health · doi:10.1016/j.landig.2025.100923 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Elias, A. L., Seward, N., & Lund, C. (2024) · Cambridge Prisms Global Mental Health · doi:10.1017/gmh.2024.3 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Anggraini, M. S., Hidayat, A., & Fernandez, R. L. (2022) · International Journal of Advanced Health Science and Technology · doi:10.35882/ijahst.v2i5.158 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Wang, J., Yang, Q., Cui, N., Wu, L., Zhang, X., Sun, Y., Huang, Y., & Cao, F. (2025) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/68084 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Yang, J., Lin, X.-Z., Guo, Q.-W., Wang, C., Yang, R.-Y., Zhang, J.-W., & Zeng, Y. (2023) · World Journal of Clinical Cases · doi:10.12998/wjcc.v11.i12.2729 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Positive affect improves a transdiagnostic model of perinatal depression symptoms
Pingeton, B. C., Cochran, A. L., Goodman, S. H., Laurent, H. K., Sbrilli, M. D., Knight, B. T., Newport, D. J., & Stowe, Z. N. (2023) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2023.05.031 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Bilinçli Farkındalık (Mindfulness) ve Perinatal Ruh Sağlığı: Bir Sistematik Derleme
Dağlar, Ö. Ş., & Şahin, N. H. (2021) · Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Hemşirelik Dergisi · doi:10.48071/sbuhemsirelik.951950 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Özer, D., & Dişsiz, M. (2024) · Psikiyatride Guncel Yaklasimlar - Current Approaches in Psychiatry · doi:10.18863/pgy.1464521 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Wang, S., Wu, M., Wei, J., Xia, W., Luo, Z., & Tian, L. (2025) · General Hospital Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2025.07.017 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Chen, Z., Jiang, J., Hu, T., Luo, L., Chen, C., & Xiang, W. (2022) · Medicine · doi:10.1097/md.0000000000028849 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Kim, M., Park, J. Y., Park, S., Chung, K., Cho, H. Y., Do, G., & Jhung, K. (2025) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/75630 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Zhou, J., Zhu, Z., Li, R., Guo, X., & Li, D. (2025) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1530311 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Li, S., Yin, D., & Guo, X.-C. (2023) · World Journal of Clinical Cases · doi:10.12998/wjcc.v11.i35.8276 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Torres-Giménez, A., Sureda, B., Roca-Lecumberri, A., Andrés-Perpiñá, S., Solé, E., & Gelabert, E. (2024) · Journal of Psychiatric Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.11.003 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Zhu, B., Hou, Y., Yu, X., Jiang, M., Lu, M., Shang, M., Zhen, H., Gu, Y., Li, H., & Tao, F. (2024) · BMJ Global Health · doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2023-013604 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Savoia, A., Scaini, S., Rossi, F., Calcinati, M., & Oppo, A. (2025) · Archives of Women s Mental Health · doi:10.1007/s00737-025-01575-0 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Shu, W., Li, M., Amaerjiang, N., Fan, X., Lin, S., Segura‐Pérez, S., Pérez‐Escamilla, R., & Hu, Y. (2021) · International Journal for Equity in Health · doi:10.1186/s12939-021-01430-5 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Vani, K., Katehis, I. A., Bernstein, P. S., Lebron, C., Chung, H., Bruney, T. L., & Karkowsky, C. E. (2023) · American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology MFM · doi:10.1016/j.ajogmf.2023.101135 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Özdemir, E. H., & Şahin, N. E. (2025) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-025-07651-w · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Digital mental health interventions in Chinese: a scoping review
Liu, Y., Shen, V. W., Jaime, E., Zheng, W. Y., Han, J., & Hall, B. J. (2025) · npj Digital Medicine · doi:10.1038/s41746-025-02129-5 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Zhu, Y., Sun, L., Guan, S., Li, R., Yang, J., Cao, Y., Zhang, L., Li, T., Zhang, H., Bueber, M. A., et al. (2025) · The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific · doi:10.1016/j.lanwpc.2025.101515 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Kim, J., Lee, J. Y., & Park, S.-H. (2026) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/66267 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Adjunctive use of mindfulness-based mobile application in depression: randomized controlled study
Sarlon, J., Schneider, E., Brühl, A. B., Ulrich, S., Liwinski, T., Doll, J. P. K., Muehlauser, M., & Lang, U. E. (2024) · European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience · doi:10.1007/s00406-024-01884-y · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Tharwat, D., Trousselard, M., Fromage, D., Belrose, C., Balès, M., Sutter-Dallay, A.-L., Ezto, M.-L., Hurstel, F., Harvey, T., Martin, S., et al. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19031545 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“Interestingly, in line with the well-known benefits of mindfulness interventions for depression and relapses of depression [35–37], including in the general population [38], recent pilot studies showed that prenatal mindfulness interventions have potential benefits for improving the emergence of perinatal depression […”
BackgroundDeng, J., Chen, J., Tan, Y., Guo, X., & Liu, F. (2025) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2024-088699 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
The effectiveness of telemedicine applications in mental health services: a meta-analysis study
Güler, K. G., Uzun, S., & Emirza, E. G. (2024) · Irish Journal of Medical Science (1971 -) · doi:10.1007/s11845-024-03841-z · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Chen, P., Wang, Y., Yuan, J., Bourjeily, G., Park, C., Zhu, B.-Q., & Izci-Balserak, B. (2025) · Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (JCSM) · doi:10.5664/jcsm.11696 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Current trends and future directions of mHealth in psychology: Challenges and promising perspectives
Ramírez, L. (2024) · Mexican Journal of Medical Research ICSA · doi:10.29057/mjmr.v12i24.12430 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Rucka, K., & Talarowska, M. E. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19116473 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Sun, Y., Wang, J., Mao, F., Sun, J., Zhang, X., & Cao, F. (2022) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-022-03231-7 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Arifin, S. R. B. M., Kamaruddin, A., Muhammad, N. A., Nurumal, M. S., Mohadis, H. M., Hussain, N. H. N., & Wardaningsih, S. (2025) · International Journal of Nursing Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.ijnss.2025.04.014 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Contributions of mindfulness in high-risk pregnancy: a mixed methods systematic review
Dutra, I. N., Seixinho, S., Baixinho, C. L., Presado, M. H., & Fernández, R. G. (2025) · Heliyon · doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e43059 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Liu, Q., Yuan, J., Shi, S., Du, M., & Jiang, Y. (2025) · International Journal of Mental Health Nursing · doi:10.1111/inm.70085 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Allegri, B., Deste, G., Brenna, V., Gritti, E. S., Confalonieri, L., Puzzini, A., Corbani, I. E., Zucchetti, A., Mazza, U., Rabà, T., et al. (2025) · Brain Sciences · doi:10.3390/brainsci15090963 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Dinescu, R. A. M., Motofelea, A. C., Luminosu, P.-M., Loichita, M., Motofelea, N., & Sas, I. (2026) · Diagnostics · doi:10.3390/diagnostics16030412 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Franco, P., Olhaberry, M., Muzard, A., Lara, M. A., & Cuijpers, P. J. (2022) · Depression and personality · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-13029-8_8 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Use of Telehealth as an Adjunct to Conventional Mental Health Care
Morrish, D. W., Zayat, N., & Hoskins, I. A. (2024) · Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics of North America · doi:10.1016/j.ogc.2024.09.006 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Fu, Y., Yf, W., Zhu, Z., & Zhang, D. (2025) · Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology · doi:10.1080/0167482x.2025.2588224 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Wen, Y., Li, H., & Yanjun, G. (2021) · Contrast Media & Molecular Imaging · doi:10.1155/2021/2551063 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Zhang, T., & Zhang, L. (2022) · Contrast Media & Molecular Imaging · doi:10.1155/2022/2952949 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
RetractedDeng, J., Chen, J., Guo, X., & Liu, F. (2023) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-3148169/v1 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
- Authors
- Sun, Y., Li, Y., Wang, J., Chen, Q., Bazzano, A. N., & Cao, F.
- Affiliations
- Shandong University (CN)
- Tulane University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Cao, Fenglin
- Venue
- Journal of Medical Internet Research
- Publisher
- JMIR Publications Inc.
- Published
- 2021-01-27
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- e23410
- ISSN
- 1438-8871 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7875700
- OpenAlex
- W3124467293
- Cited by
- 165
- References
- 61
- Citations by year
- 2026: 26 · 2025: 35 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 52 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 8
- FWCI
- 22.49
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Journal of Medical Internet Research (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- Tulane University
- Shandong University
- China Scholarship Council
- National Social Science Fund of China (17BSH054)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Keywords
- mindfulness training, perinatal depression, maternal depression, pregnancy, smartphone-based intervention, self-guided intervention, anxiety, positive affect, postpartum depression, nulliparous women, perinatal mental health, digital mental health interventions, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, sleep and fatigue, stress
- MeSH terms
- Smartphone, Adult, Depression, Female, Humans, Mental Health, Pregnancy, Surveys and Questionnaires, Telemedicine, Perinatal Care, Mindfulness
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
