The International Parentcentered Network (IPCN) kindly invites you to a webinar series on the topic of parenthood in Europe, from a current and multidisciplinary perspective. FThe network aims to exchange and increase knowledge and skills about parenthood for care professionals, education and parents. With these webinars, the network wants to further focus on the resilient and sensitive development of professionals and parents in an accessible way.
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Webinar The feasibility of an online resilience-enhancing intervention for pregnant women
by Sarah Vanhaeken, UCLL
Background: During the perinatal period, parents may face challenges leading to distress and possible mental health problems. While resilience may be crucial, prenatal preventative interventions are lacking. A 28-week intervention, consisting of online group sessions, resilience-enhancing exercises, and an online peer-support platform, was developed.
Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of this intervention for pregnant women.
Methods: A total of 70 women participated in the intervention. Postintervention, the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8) was assessed. Additionally, 17 women were interviewed to gather insights into their user-experiences and perceptions. Data were analyzed using the Qualitative Analysis Guide of Leuven.
Findings: Group session attendance was high, with 92.8% participants attending at least two sessions. Overall satisfaction was indicated by a mean CSQ-8 score of 3.07. Qualitative findings revealed four themes: motives for participation, overall positive experience, perceived impact, and areas for improvement.
Discussion: Participants underscored the importance of peer-support and emphasized the need to address perinatal wellbeing by facilitating open dialogue about positive and negative emotions, thoughts, and experiences. This study stands out as one of the first qualitative studies to date investigating the implementation and impact of an online intervention on maternal mental health.
Conclusion: Findings highlight the feasibility of the online resilience-enhancing intervention. Supported online interventions are promising in perinatal preventative interventions for mental health problems. Suggestions for future intervention research include the integration of group sessions and exercises, extending interventions postpartum, and adopting a universal online platform.