Effects of a Prenatal Anxiety Randomized Controlled Trial Intervention on Infant Development in Pakistan.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Given that infant development is influenced by caregiver mental health, we tested whether an intervention to reduce antenatal anxiety could affect infant development. A secondary aim was to test depressive symptoms, maternal responsiveness, and maternal infant bonding as mediators of this relationship.

Methods

Between 2020 and 2022, pregnant women participated in a randomized controlled trial of the Happy Mother-Healthy Baby (HMHB) program based on cognitive behavioral therapy. We collected data on child development from 202 intervention and 198 control participants in a public hospital in Pakistan. Child development was measured using the Ages and Stages Questionnaires-Version 3 at six weeks postpartum. Using intent-to-treat analyses, we examined whether the inter

SUBMITTER: Surkan PJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11833752 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan-Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature