Psychological mechanisms of prenatal mindfulness training on antenatal blood pressure reduction: A pilot study

Background

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are a significant cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Mindfulness training (MT) shows promise for reducing blood pressure during pregnancy; however, the underlying mechanisms by which MT exerts this effect remain unclear.

Objectives

The objectives of this pilot randomized clinical trial were to study psychological mechanisms through which MT may reduce blood pressure in pregnancy.

Study design

Pregnant participants were randomized to an 8-week phone-delivered mindfulness intervention or usual care. Antenatal blood pressure values were extracted from medical records before and after the intervention to examine change in blood pressure. Participants also completed self-report measures of depression, anxiety, perceived stress, and mindfulness before and after the intervention.

Results

Twenty-nine participants were randomized to phone-based MT (N = 15) or usual care (N = 14). Blood pressure significantly decreased across participation among those randomized to MT vs. usual care (systolic blood pressure (F = 5.093, p = .035); diastolic blood pressure (F = 9.689, p = .005)). Reductions in perceived stress mediated the relationship between mindfulness training and decreases in systolic—but not diastolic—maternal blood pressure.

Conclusions

Findings from this pilot trial suggest that reductions in perceived stress may underlie the effect of prenatal mindfulness training on lowering maternal systolic blood pressure.

Clinical Trial Registration: The ClinicalTrials.gov identifier is NCT03679117.