Stress, Anxiety and Depression: The Role of Mediated and Moderated Mechanisms of Dispositional Mindfulness and Their Effect on Childbirth Outcome

mindfulness stress depression anxiety pregnant womenThe risk factors for symptoms of depression in pregnant women are still unclear.The current crosssectional study examined the mindfulness stress-buffering hypothesis as a possible mediating and moderating mechanism of stress and anxiety.Two hundred and thirty-three women who were pregnant at more than 13 gestational weeks completed questionnaires designed to measure stress, anxiety, and depression.SPSS PROCESS macro 3.5 software was used to test the mediation model, in which anxiety was the moderated mediation model variable, and mindfulness was the moderator variable.The current study found that mindfulness directly, and indirectly via anxiety, moderated the effect of stress on depression, with a threshold of 146.95 and 144.60, respectively.Mindfulness levels above these thresholds reduced the use of labor anesthesia and promoted exclusive breastfeeding.This finding suggests that health professionals should pay attention to the mindfulness learning needs of participants when designing mindfulness programs.Achieving high mindfulness scores will help participants fight stress, lower anxiety, and reduce symptoms of depression.In addition, it can also help women adapt to labor pains and promote exclusive breastfeeding behaviors.