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mbcp research
  • Increased positive affect

  • Increased childbirth self-efficacy

  • Increased mindfulness

  • Decreased anxiety

  • Decreased stress

  • Decreased fear of childbirth

  • Decreased pain catastrophizing

  • Decreased depression (including postpartum)

  • Decreased use of non-urgent interventions during labor

  • Increased likelihood of unmedicated birth

  • Changes to the brain's hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function

  • Better partner psychological well-being

  • Higher newborn APGAR scores 1-minute after birth

  • Better maternal-fetal attachment

  • Better infant social-emotional development at 3 months of age than other childbirth education courses

  • Better infant resilience at 6 months of age

initial findings
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Publications

professional publications & peer-reviewed articles

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  1. 2009: “Mindfulness approaches to childbirth and parenting” in the British Journal of Midwifery

  2. 2009:  “A Model of Mindful Parenting: Implications for Parent–Child Relationships and Prevention Research.” in the Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review

  3. 2010: “Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting Education (MBCP): Promoting Family Mindfulness During the Perinatal Period” in the Journal of Child and Family Studies

  4. 2012: “A mindfulness approach to antenatal preparation” in the British Journal of Midwifery

  5. 2013: “Mindfulness in maternity” in the British Journal of Midwifery

  6. 2014: “Mind in labor: Effects of mind/body training on childbirth appraisals and pain medication use during labor” [abstract] in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine

  7. 2015: “Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP): Innovation in birth preparation to support healthy, happy families” in the International Journal of Birth & Parent Education

  8. 2016: “Mindfulness in Maternity: Evaluation of a Course for Midwives” in the British Journal of Midwifery

  9. 2016: “‘I’ve Changed My Mind,’ Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP) for pregnant women with a high level of fear of childbirth and their partners: study protocol of the quasi-experimental controlled trial” in BMC Psychiatry

  10. 2017: “CenteringPregnancy With Mindfulness Skills: Enhancing the Thread of Presence” in The CenteringPregnancy® Model (pp. 188-202)

  11. 2017: “Benefits of preparing for childbirth with mindfulness training: a randomized controlled trial with active comparison” in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

  12. 2018: “Experiences of Postpartum Women after Mindfulness Childbirth Classes: A Qualitative Study” in Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health

  13. 2018: “What is learned from Mindfulness Based Childbirth and Parenting Education? – Participants’ experiences” in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

  14. 2018: "An evaluation of mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting courses for pregnant women and prospective fathers/partners within the UK NHS (MBCP-4-NHS) Midwifery 64-10" in the National Library of Medicine.

  15. 2019: "A mindfulness and compassion-based program applied to pregnant women and their partners to decrease depression symptoms during pregnancy and postpartum: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial" in the National Library of Medicine.

  16. 2019: "Mindfulness-based programme on the psychological health of pregnant women" in Women and Birth

  17. 2020: "Effects of a mindfulness based childbirth and parenting program on pregnant women's perceived stress and risk of perinatal depression: results from a randomized controlled trial" in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

  18. 2020: "Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting: Preparing a new generation for childbirth and beyond" in Handbook of Mindfulness-Based Programmes

  19. 2020: "Effects of prenatal mindfulness-based childbirth education on child-bearers’ trajectories of distress: a randomized control trial" in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

  20. 2020: "Effects of a mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting program on maternal-fetal attachment: A randomized controlled trial among Iranian pregnant women" in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice

  21. 2021: "Long-term effects of a Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting Program: A randomized controlled trial" in Mindfulness

  22. 2021: "Exploring the effects of Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting on infant social-emotional development" in Mindfulness

  23. 2021: "Fear of childbirth, nonurgent obstetric interventions, and newborn outcomes: A randomized controlled trial comparing mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting with enhanced care as usual" in Birth Issues in Perinatal Care

  24. 2021: "Assessing the effectiveness of mindfulness-based programs on mental health during pregnancy and early motherhood - a randomized control trial" in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

  25. 2021: "Mindfulness in Pregnancy: A Brief Intervention for Women at Risk" in Maternal and Child Health Journal

  26. 2022: "Long-term effects of a prenatal mindfulness intervention on depressive symptoms in a diverse sample of women" in Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology

  27. 2022: "Applying Mindfulness Techniques to the Management of Depressive Tendencies in Women in Taiwan in the Perinatal Period: A Qualitative Study" in Asian Nursing Research

  28. 2022: "Mindful awareness as a mechanism of change for natural childbirth in pregnant women with high fear of childbirth: a randomised controlled trial" in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

  29. 2023: "Mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting for pregnant women with high fear of childbirth and their partners: outcomes of a randomized controlled trial assessing short- and longer-term effects on psychological well-being, birth and pregnancy experience" in Midwifery

  30. 2023: "Effects of the Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP) Program Among Pregnant Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial" in Mindfulness

  31. 2023: "Effectiveness of mindfulness training on pregnancy stress and the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis in women in China: A multicenter randomized controlled trial" in Frontiers in Psychology

  32. 2023: "Enhancing Prenatal Group Medical Visits with Mindfulness Skills: A Pragmatic Trial with Latina and BIPOC Pregnant Women Experiencing Multiple Forms of Structural Inequity" in Mindfulness

  33. 2023: "Cost-Effectiveness of the Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting Program for Pregnant Women With Fear of Childbirth" in Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing

  34. 2023: "Mindfulness in Pregnancy, Childbirth and Parenting" in E-Journal of Dokuz Eylul University Nursing Faculty.

  35. 2025: "The effects of the Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting Program (MBCP) on prenatal attachment, depression, stress, and anxiety in pregnant women: A randomized controlled trial" in Journal of Affective Disorders.

Affiliates
Research AFFILIATEs
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