Adapting and testing a brief intervention to reduce maternal anxiety during pregnancy (ACORN): report of a feasibility randomized controlled trial

BMC Psychiatry

Leonie Lee-Carbon¹  Dorothy X. King²  Paul G. Ramchandani³  Esther L. Wilkinson⁴  Sarah L. Halligan⁵  Heather A. O’Mahen⁶  Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent⁷  Jennifer Ericksen⁸  Jeannette Milgrom⁹  Pasco Fearon^1,10  Chloe Thompson-Booth^1,11 

[1] Centre for Mental Health, Imperial College London, 7th Floor Commonwealth Building, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, W12 0NN, London, UK;Centre for Mental Health, Imperial College London, 7th Floor Commonwealth Building, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, W12 0NN, London, UK;Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, Stephenson House, 75 Hampstead Road, NW1 2PL, London, UK;Centre for Mental Health, Imperial College London, 7th Floor Commonwealth Building, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, W12 0NN, London, UK;Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, Stephenson House, 75 Hampstead Road, NW1 2PL, London, UK;Centre for Research on Play in Education, Development, and Learning, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, 184 Hills Road, CB2 8PQ, Cambridge, England;Centre for Mental Health, Imperial College London, 7th Floor Commonwealth Building, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, W12 0NN, London, UK;Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, Stephenson House, 75 Hampstead Road, NW1 2PL, London, UK;Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, 16 De Crespigny Park, SE5 8AF, London, UK;Department of Psychology, University of Bath, BA2 7AY, Bath, UK;Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, J-Block, Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa;Mood Disorders Research Centre, University of Exeter, Perry Road, EX4 4QG, Exeter, UK;NHS England, Nursing Directorate, Skipton House, 80 London Road, SE1 6LH, London, UK;Parent-Infant Research Institute, Centaur Building, Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital, Austin Health, 300 Waterdale Road, Heidelberg Heights, Melbourne, VIC, Australia;Parent-Infant Research Institute, Centaur Building, Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital, Austin Health, 300 Waterdale Road, Heidelberg Heights, Melbourne, VIC, Australia;Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Level 12, Redmond Barry Building, 3010, Parkville, VIC, Australia;Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, WC1E 7HB, London, UK;Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, WC1E 7HB, London, UK;Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, Trust Head Office, The Lodge, Lodge Approach, Runwell, Wickford, SS11 7XX, Essex, UK;

关键词: Pregnancy;    Anxiety;    Antenatal;    Therapy;    Randomised controlled trial;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12888-022-03737-1

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundWe investigated the acceptability and feasibility of a new brief intervention for maternal prenatal anxiety within maternity services in London and Exeter, UK.MethodsOne hundred fourteen pregnant individuals attending their 12-week scan at a prenatal clinic with elevated symptoms of anxiety (GAD-7 score of ≥7) were randomly assigned to either the ACORN intervention + Treatment as usual (TAU) (n = 57) or to usual care only (n = 57). The ACORN intervention consisted of 3 2-h group sessions, led by a midwife and psychological therapist, for pregnant individuals and their partners. The intervention included psychoeducation about anxiety, strategies for problem-sovling and tolerating uncertainty during pregnancy, including communicating about these with others, and mindfulness exercises.ResultsEngagement rates with ACORN met or exceeded those in primary care services in England. In the intervention arm, 77% (n = 44) of participants attended at least one session, 51% (n = 29) were adherent, defined as attending two or more sessions. Feedback was positive, and participants in the ACORN treatment group demonstrated evidence of a larger drop in their levels of anxiety than the participants in the TAU-only group (Cohen’s d = 0.42).ConclusionThe ACORN intervention was acceptable to pregnant individuals and their partners and resulted in reductions in anxiety. With further evaluation in a larger-scale trial with child outcomes, there is significant potential for large scale public health benefit.

【 授权许可】

CC BY