Researchers at ORIGINS, Joondalup Health Campus and The Kids Research Institute Australia studying maternal emotional health have found their custom app, designed to increase mental health skills, has boosted long-term skill use amongst perinatal women 12 months after the study concluded.
Despite many mental health apps currently available, there is minimal research into the uptake and long-term engagement of wellbeing apps amongst perinatal women, with few existing apps targeted to women during and post-pregnancy tailored to build positive mental health and emotional wellbeing.
Identifying this gap, ORIGINS Co-Director, Dr Jackie Davis, collaborated with researchers at The Kids to develop and pilot the Mums Minds Matter study, a sub-project within the ORIGINS longitudinal birth cohort platform, investigating the most effective resources to support emotional heath before, during and after pregnancy.
“Maternal psychological distress – that is prolonged stress, anxiety and depression - is related to poorer physical and mental health in mothers, as well as developmental problems in their children,” Dr Davis said.
“Research strongly supports that early intervention and prevention of psychological distress in women is fundamentally important in supporting the mental and physical development of both child and mother.
"The sustained use of skills learned through the study’s app implies that Digital Mental Health Interventions (DMHIs) have the potential to be an affordable and effective treatment to help mothers struggling emotionally."
Mums Minds Matter participant, Ghislaine Platell, said the study’s app helped her embrace slowing down and being present—an approach she knew she needed as a parent but found harder to adopt than expected.
“I’ve always dealt with mild anxiety, but after I received my ADHD diagnosis while pregnant with my second child, I joined Mums Minds Matter because I know my mental health is important, and I wanted to know how it impacted my children as well.”
After being randomly selected to receive one of three stress-reduction training programs, participants described how the training has continued to enable regular relaxation through breathing exercises and visualisations, nearly 12 months post program finalisation.
“Having an awareness of your own mental state while you’re parenting enables you to be your best, most calm self, for them,” Ms Platell said.
She said the study highlighted the importance of prioritising her own mental health, as it not only benefited herself but taught her children positive habits.
“It’s so beneficial. I know myself that changing behaviours later in life is trickier in theory. If you know how to do that from the start, you’re going to be a lot better off.”
Dr Davis and the Mums Minds Matter team aim to provide recommendations on the design of current and future mental health apps targeted to perinatal women to increase long-term engagement and mental wellbeing.
To learn more about the Mums Minds Matter project visit: https://originsproject.thekids.org.au/sub-projects/mental-health-wellbeing/Mums-Minds-Matter/
Mums Minds Matter is a sub-project of ORIGINS, a longitudinal cohort study collaborated between Joondalup Health Campus and The Kids Research Institute, following the health of 10,000 children and families from birth to promote lifelong wellbeing and community flourishing.