NCT04327557

Childbirth Education Pilot Study

Pilot Study on Effectiveness of Childbirth Education

• Status: Suspended
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 60 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Wisconsin, Madison · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: 18 Years – 40 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study aims to investigate the effects of mindfulness training on prenatal maternal anxiety using a randomized controlled trial (RCT). An RCT of mindfulness training for prenatal anxiety has distinct clinical and scientific advantages. The investigators will use the Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP) intervention in this study to build on previous findings by focusing on anxiety in pregnancy while also teaching mindfulness skills shown to promote positive childbirth appraisals and sensitive parenting through mindful parenting skills that have been shown to be linked to maternal-infant stress physiology in other work. This study will enroll pregnant women with elevated anxiety (N = 60) who will be randomly assigned to the MBCP condition (n = 30) or an active control condition (a treatment as usual (TAU) condition; n = 30) which is a standard childbirth education class. Mothers will be assessed pre- and post-intervention and postpartum. Infant multi-modal neuroimaging will occur at age 1 month, at home questionnaire follow-up will occur at age 3 months, and a behavioral observation of parenting and child social-emotional functioning will occur at age 12 months. The hypothesis is that there will be greater benefits from MBCP relative to TAU controls, and enhanced connectivity between the amygdala and relevant cortico-limbic areas in from MBCP relative to TAU controls.

Detailed description

Baseline (Pre-Class) Visit : Once study eligibility has been confirmed, the participant will come to the lab for an in-person visit. If they choose to continue in the study after reading and signing the consent form, they will complete a series of questionnaires and collect saliva samples at home. Childbirth Education Intervention: The participant will be randomly assigned to one of two childbirth and parenting education groups (either the MBCP course offered at UW Health or a TAU course). Participants in the TAU group will be provided options of courses to select. Courses may last up to 9 weeks long. The course is provided as part of the study. Participants are asked to complete the course before the 37th week of pregnancy. Post-Intervention (Post-Class) Visit: After completing the childbirth and parenting education course, the participant will complete a series of questionnaires and collect another set of saliva samples. This can happen in person or remotely. 1-Month Follow-Up Visit: One month after birth, the participant and their child will come to the lab for an MRI scan of the child's brain while he or she sleeps as well as complete another series of questionnaires. 3-Month Follow-Up Visit: Three months after birth, the participant will complete a series of questionnaires. 12-Month Follow-Up Visit: Twelve months after birth, the participant and their child will come to the lab for one final visit to do a behavioral assessment as well as complete a final series of questionnaires.

Conditions

• Pregnancy
• Anxiety

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	MBCP Childbirth Education Course	The MBCP program is a fully manualized childbirth and parenting preparation course. Developed in 1998 in a clinical context, MBCP is an enhanced version of the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program tailored for addressing the concerns of pregnancy and early parenting. Through MBCP, pregnant women and their partners learn mindfulness skills for coping with the anxiety and stress of pregnancy and parenting, and the pain and fear of childbirth. They are given explicit instruction in skills for cultivating positive emotion and developing mindful, sensitive parenting. MBCP groups meet weekly for 9 weeks, with a retreat day between weeks 6 and 7.
BEHAVIORAL	Non-MBCP Childbirth Education Course	TAU control participants will undergo standard (real-world) hospital- or community-based childbirth education that does not have a mindfulness focus. They will be able to choose whichever class they want from the list. If they prefer a class that is not on the list, then study staff will obtain the syllabus for that class to check whether there is a mindfulness component.

Timeline

• Start date: 2019-07-02
• Primary completion: 2027-11-01
• Completion: 2027-11-01
• First posted: 2020-03-31
• Last updated: 2026-02-25

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States