Overview
Perinatal anxiety and depression are common mental health concerns that may negatively affect maternal well-being, infant development, and family functioning. Mindfulness-based interventions have shown beneficial effects on reducing psychological distress during pregnancy; however, maintaining attention and engagement during mindfulness practice may be challenging for some pregnant women.
This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of an integrated virtual forest environment and mindfulness-based intervention for improving mental health in perinatal women. Pregnant women between 20 and 24 weeks of gestation will be randomly assigned to either an experimental group receiving virtual reality (VR)-based forest mindfulness intervention or a control group receiving conventional mindfulness intervention.
Both groups will participate in a 9-week mindfulness program and receive app-based mindfulness practice. The experimental group will additionally receive immersive VR forest-based mindfulness sessions during prenatal visits. Outcomes including anxiety, depression, mindfulness awareness, physiological indicators, and intervention acceptability will be assessed during pregnancy and postpartum follow-up.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
- Pregnant women aged 18 years or older
- Gestational age below 25 weeks at recruitment
- Able to communicate in Chinese and provide informed consent
- Willing to participate in the study and complete follow-up assessments
Exclusion Criteria:
- Diagnosed epilepsy, photosensitive epilepsy, or other neurological disorders
- Severe anxiety, depression, or other psychiatric disorders currently receiving intensive treatment
- History of severe adverse reactions to virtual reality devices, including severe dizziness, nausea, or visual discomfort
- Inability to participate in mindfulness or VR intervention proceduresriteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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