title: The effects of mindfulness interventions on prenatal well-being: A systematic review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Low well-being during pregnancy can have significant adverse outcomes for mother and child. The effects of mindfulness interventions on prenatal maternal well-being are increasingly examined but outcomes have yet to be systematically evaluated. The aims of the current paper are to systematically evaluate intervention effects and current research approaches with pregnant groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic review of eight studies examining mindfulness intervention effects on prenatal well-being.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Findings indicate potential benefits of mindfulness interventions for reducing levels of depression, anxiety and negative affect during pregnancy. There is also evidence for improved self-compassion and perceived childbirth self-efficacy. Further, these effects may be more pronounced for vulnerable groups, such as women currently experiencing low prenatal well-being. Less consistent findings were observed for stress, and positive affect. Variations in research design, gestational characteristics, timing of assessments and outcome measurement may explain some inconsistencies in the extant literature.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mindfulness interventions present a potentially useful means to improve prenatal well-being but improved methodological quality is essential to rigorously examine intervention effects.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Epidemiology & Public Health , University College Cork , Cork , Ireland.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matvienko-Sikar
authors.affiliation: b School of Applied Psychology, University College Cork , Cork , Ireland.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: b School of Applied Psychology, University College Cork , Cork , Ireland.
authors.forename: Gillian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.affiliation: b School of Applied Psychology, University College Cork , Cork , Ireland.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Murphy
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D064866:Mindfulness; D011247:Pregnancy; D037841:Pregnant People / Q000523:psychology*; D011295:Prenatal Care; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: depression; intervention; mindfulness; pregnancy; stress; well-being