2nd Edition of Public Health World Conference (PHWC) 2026
Speakers - PHWC2026
Xinya TU
Xinya TU
- Designation: Central South University
- Country: China
- Title: A Preliminary Study on the Development and Application of a Stress Reduction Mini Program for Pregnant Women Undergoing Prenatal Diagnostic Services
Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to mitigate psychological stress among pregnant women undergoing prenatal diagnostic services. We integrated the WHO Self-Help Plus intervention with a family-participatory stress reduction module developed by our research team, and delivered this combined intervention to pregnant women and their spouses via a WeChat mini-program. A pilot study was conducted to evaluate the preliminary efficacy of this integrated intervention in alleviating psychological stress and to assess its implementation feasibility, providing a scalable, new and novel psychosocial support strategy for the prenatal diagnostic phase.
Methods: (1) An intervention framework was established through literature review and multidisciplinary expert consultation, comprising a self-help stress reduction module for pregnant women and a family-participatory stress reduction module. Based on qualitative interviews and McMaster’s theory, the content of the family module was preliminarily developed. Short video scripts were then created from this content, and the module was refined through expert consultation. (2) Integrating these two core modules, a dedicated WeChat mini-program was developed as a digital delivery platform for prenatal stress reduction. It features animated educated videos for family-participatory stress reduction that were produced and personalized behavioral plans, completing the development of all intervention components. (3) A randomized controlled pilot trial was conducted between January 1 and February 28, 2025, recruiting pregnant women and their spouses from selected prenatal diagnosis facilities. The intervention group received a 21-day intervention via the mini-program, whereas controls received routine care. The primary outcome was pregnancy-related stress assessed at baseline and post-intervention; secondary outcomes included depression, anxiety, sleep quality, and family support. Feasibility was evaluate using a satisfaction questionnaire and the System Usability Scale. Statistical analysis employed intention-to-treat analysis and the Mann-Whitney U test.
Results: (1) The framework comprises two modules: self-help stress reduction for pregnant women and family-involved stress reduction for spousal participation. Five intervention topics were developed into six animated videos. (2) The WeChat mini-program includes front-end modules such as user registration and login, self-help and family-involved stress reduction, course scheduling, questionnaire assessment, and personal center, as well as back-end modules including homepage, course management, permission management, system management, and user management. (3) 40 dyads of pregnant women and their spouses were randomized to each group, and 32 dyads completed follow-up in both arms. No baseline differences were found in any outcome measures (P > 0.05). Post-intervention analyses revealed significantly lower pregnancy-related stress total scores and three subscales (parental role adaptation, stress from ensuring maternal-fetal health and safety, physical appearance/activity changes), as well as in depression and anxiety scores in the intervention group versus controls (All P < 0.05). This indicated that no significant between- group differences were observed for sleep quality (P > 0.05). Significant improvements were noted in the emotional dimension score of family support (P < 0.05). Collectively, the intervention group demonstrated superior outcomes across all secondary outcomes except sleep quality. (4) Feasibility assessment showed excellent usability of the WeChat mini- program. Acceptance and completion rates reached 95% and 84%, respectively. Participants reported high satisfaction with the self-help course content; overall satisfaction with family-participatory content, format, and scheduling was elevated in both groups with marginally higher ratings among spouses.
Conclusion: This study developed a digital stress reduction Wechat mini-program that integrated self-help and family-participatory modules specifically for women undergoing prenatal diagnostic procedures. Preliminary findings indicate that the intervention significantly alleviates psychological stress, depressive and anxiety symptoms, while concurrently enhancing the emotional dimension of family functioning. Demonstrating excellent usability, high acceptance, satisfactory completion rate, and robust user satisfaction among both pregnant women and their spouses, it holds considerable promise for wider application.
2nd Edition of Public Health World Conference (PHWC) 2026
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