JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Stress and anxiety during pregnancy are extremely prevalent, and are associated with numerous poor outcomes; among the most serious are increased rates of preterm birth and low birth weight infants. While research supports that mindfulness practices are effective in reducing perinatal stress and anxiety, there are barriers for attending in-person courses, and app-delivered training may provide a viable alternative.

Objective:

Determine if mindfulness meditation training with the Headspace app is effective for stress and anxiety reduction during pregnancy.

Methods:

A longitudinal, single-arm trial was implemented with 20 pregnant women who were instructed to practice meditation via the Headspace app twice/day during the month-long trial. Validated scales were used to measure participant’s levels of stress and anxiety pre-and post-intervention. Physiological measures reflective of stress (heart rate/heart rate variability and sleep) were collected via the Oura Ring.

Results:

Statistically significant reductions were found in self-reported levels of stress (p=0.005), anxiety (p=0.011), and pregnancy anxiety (p=0.0001). Hierarchical linear modeling revealed statistically significant reduction in the physiologic data reflective of stress in one of six HR/HRV metrics, the low-frequency (LF) power band, which decreased by 13% (p=0.006). Nearly two-thirds (65%) of study participants reported their sleep improved during the trial, and 95% stated that learning mindfulness helped with other aspects of their lives. Participant retention was 100%, with 65% of participants completing about two-thirds of the intervention, and 50% competing ≥95%.

Conclusions:

This study found evidence to support the Headspace app as an effective intervention to aid in stress and anxiety reduction during pregnancy.