Mindfulness-Based Programs for Perinatal Depression, Anxiety, Stress, and Psychological Well-Being: A Systematic Meta-Review

Maternal mental health during pregnancy and the postpartum period is critical for offspring’s well-being. Mindfulness-based programs (MBPs) are evidence-based approaches that reduce psychological distress such as depression, anxiety, and stress while promoting well-being. MBPs may be particularly suited to the perinatal period, given concerns about psychotropic medication use during pregnancy and postpartum and their emphasis on strengthening the mind–body connection. Several systematic reviews and meta-analyses have examined MBPs in perinatal populations; however, they vary in the populations, interventions, contexts, and outcomes considered. This meta-review summarized evidence from existing research on the effectiveness of MBPs for reducing psychological distress and promoting well-being among perinatal people. Four electronic databases were searched through October 2024. Eligible studies were English-language systematic reviews with or without meta-analyses of evidence-based MBPs in pregnancy through 12 months postpartum. Outcomes included psychological distress (i.e., depression, anxiety, stress, fear of childbirth) and well-being (i.e., trait mindfulness and childbirth self-efficacy). We summarized study and intervention characteristics, pooled effectiveness, review-level moderators, and quality metrics. We identified 17 systematic reviews (including 14 meta-analyses) published from 2016 to 2024. Quality ratings were primarily low to moderate, with substantial limitations and variations in the existing literature preventing strong conclusions from being drawn. Given this caveat, based on our analysis, MBPs generally showed favorable effects among perinatal populations for reducing depression, anxiety, and fear of childbirth, and improving mindfulness, and childbirth self-efficacy, with variable effectiveness for stress and no evidence of effectiveness for “positive state of mind.” Moderators of effectiveness included population characteristics (clinical vs. non-clinical), program curriculum (e.g., MBSR vs. MBCT), type of study design (randomized controlled trial vs. other), and intervention delivery variations (e.g., group vs. non-group). This meta-review provides some indication that MBPs are an effective intervention for multiple domains of psychological distress and well-being in perinatal people. Future research should use consistent protocols with appropriate measures and more comprehensive reporting of populations, interventions, and outcomes to clarify who benefits most. The study was preregistered ( https://osf.io/95nhd ).