Considerations for the design of a perinatal mindfulness intervention for adolescents based on a systematic review of the literature

Objectives: This systematic review of the literature was conducted to determine the best way to design mindfulness interventions for perinatal adolescent mothers to support mental health during the transition to parenthood and beyond.  Perinatal adolescents face unique challenges compared to adults due to their developmental stage and difficulties accessing social determinants of health. Mindfulness educational interventions may be an ideal addition to perinatal supports to foster resilience and teach skills to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. Methods:  A search strategy was developed to identify articles from 6 electronic databases including PsycInfo, ProQuest, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Ovid, and CINAHL. Qualitative analysis was done to identify mindfulness interventions which significantly decrease anxiety, depression or stress and to determine the components and designs of these interventions. Participants’ satisfaction with the interventions were analyzed, when available. Best practices for designing interventions for adolescents were used to recommend adaptations to the mindfulness interventions to tailor them to the perinatal adolescent population. Results: Of the 561 studies retrieved from the search, 16 met the inclusion criteria. All included studies found at last one significant decrease in mental health outcomes (stress 9 of 13, anxiety 9 of 9; depression 9 of 14). The majority of the interventions began in the perinatal period, were delivered face-to-face, included homework, multiple sessions and by a trained professional. Conclusion:  Mindfulness interventions are feasible, acceptable and effective in adult perinatal populations. Components and design of these interventions could be adapted for perinatal adolescents to increase resilience to cope with unique parenthood challenges.