AUTHOR=Wang Shulei , Zhang Chen , Sun Mengyun , Zhang Daming , Luo Ying , Liang Kairu , Xu Tao , Pan XiaoPing , Zheng Ruimin , Shangguan Fangfang , Wang Jia 

TITLE=Effectiveness of mindfulness training on pregnancy stress and the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis in women in China: A multicenter randomized controlled trial

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1073494

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1073494

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=We aimed to investigate the effects of a mindfulness-based psychosomatic intervention on pregnancy stress and the hypothalamicpituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis of pregnant Chinese women. Women experiencing first-time pregnancy (n = 117) were randomly allocated to the intervention group or parallel active control group, and data were collected at baseline and post-intervention periods. The participants completed questionnaires regarding mindfulness and pregnancy stress. Saliva samples was collected at the time of waking up, and 30, 45, and 60 min after waking up for analyzing the salivary cortisol levels. We analyzed differences between the two groups and changes within the same group before and after the intervention. A total of 95 participants completed the trial. Compared with the parallel active control group, the intervention group exhibited lower levels of stress after the intervention (P = 0.047). For HPA-axis-related indicators after the intervention, Delta value (P = 0.01) and AUCM value (P = 0.031) of the intervention group were significantly higher than that of the control group. Mindfulness-based interventions effectively reduced the level of pregnancy stress and adjusted the HPA axis function in pregnant women in China.