Adapting and testing a brief intervention to reduce maternal anxiety during pregnancy (ACORN): report of a feasibility randomized controlled trial

Heather A. O’Mahen; Paul G. Ramchandani; Dorothy X. King; Leonie Lee-Carbon; Esther L. Wilkinson; Chloe Thompson-Booth; Jennifer Ericksen; Jeannette Milgrom; Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent; Sarah L. Halligan; Pasco Fearon

doi:10.1186/s12888-022-03737-1

Adapting and testing a brief intervention to reduce maternal anxiety during pregnancy (ACORN): report of a feasibility randomized controlled trial

Heather A. O’Mahen, Paul G. Ramchandani, Dorothy X. King, Leonie Lee-Carbon, Esther L. Wilkinson, Chloe Thompson-Booth, Jennifer Ericksen, Jeannette Milgrom, Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent, Sarah L. Halligan, Pasco Fearon

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Abstract

Background: We investigated the acceptability and feasibility of a new brief intervention for maternal prenatal anxiety within maternity services in London and Exeter, UK. Methods: One hundred fourteen pregnant individuals attending their 12-week scan at a prenatal clinic with elevated symptoms of anxiety (GAD-7 score of ≥7) were randomly assigned to either the ACORN intervention + Treatment as usual (TAU) (n = 57) or to usual care only (n = 57). The ACORN intervention consisted of 3 2-h group sessions, led by a midwife and psychological therapist, for pregnant individuals and their partners. The intervention included psychoeducation about anxiety, strategies for problem-sovling and tolerating uncertainty during pregnancy, including communicating about these with others, and mindfulness exercises. Results: Engagement rates with ACORN met or exceeded those in primary care services in England. In the intervention arm, 77% (n = 44) of participants attended at least one session, 51% (n = 29) were adherent, defined as attending two or more sessions. Feedback was positive, and participants in the ACORN treatment group demonstrated evidence of a larger drop in their levels of anxiety than the participants in the TAU-only group (Cohen’s d = 0.42). Conclusion: The ACORN intervention was acceptable to pregnant individuals and their partners and resulted in reductions in anxiety. With further evaluation in a larger-scale trial with child outcomes, there is significant potential for large scale public health benefit.

Original language	English
Article number	129
Journal	BMC Psychiatry
Volume	22
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-03737-1
Publication status	Published - 17 Feb 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This paper presents independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) programme (PR: Grant Reference Number PB-PG-1112-29054) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Impact Accelerator Award (HOM: ACORN: Adapting and testing a brief intervention to reduce maternal anxiety during pregnancy. This study was sponsored by Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust ( www.cnwl.nhs.uk ). The sponsor and funding body did not have any role in the design of the study, in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to submit the manuscript for publication and will not contribute to the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR, the ESRC, or the Department of Health. The study was supported by the NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) for North West London.

Keywords

Antenatal
Anxiety
Pregnancy
Randomised controlled trial
Therapy

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Psychiatry and Mental health

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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Cite this

O’Mahen, H. A., Ramchandani, P. G., King, D. X., Lee-Carbon, L., Wilkinson, E. L., Thompson-Booth, C., Ericksen, J., Milgrom, J., Dunkley-Bent, J., Halligan, S. L., & Fearon, P. (2022). Adapting and testing a brief intervention to reduce maternal anxiety during pregnancy (ACORN): report of a feasibility randomized controlled trial. BMC Psychiatry, 22(1), Article 129. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-03737-1

O’Mahen, HA, Ramchandani, PG, King, DX, Lee-Carbon, L, Wilkinson, EL, Thompson-Booth, C, Ericksen, J, Milgrom, J, Dunkley-Bent, J, Halligan, SL & Fearon, P 2022, 'Adapting and testing a brief intervention to reduce maternal anxiety during pregnancy (ACORN): report of a feasibility randomized controlled trial', BMC Psychiatry, vol. 22, no. 1, 129. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-03737-1

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note = "Funding Information: This paper presents independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) programme (PR: Grant Reference Number PB-PG-1112-29054) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Impact Accelerator Award (HOM: ACORN: Adapting and testing a brief intervention to reduce maternal anxiety during pregnancy. This study was sponsored by Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust ( www.cnwl.nhs.uk ). The sponsor and funding body did not have any role in the design of the study, in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to submit the manuscript for publication and will not contribute to the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR, the ESRC, or the Department of Health. The study was supported by the NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) for North West London. ",

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AU - King, Dorothy X.

AU - Lee-Carbon, Leonie

AU - Wilkinson, Esther L.

AU - Thompson-Booth, Chloe

AU - Ericksen, Jennifer

AU - Milgrom, Jeannette

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AU - Halligan, Sarah L.

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Adapting and testing a brief intervention to reduce maternal anxiety during pregnancy (ACORN): report of a feasibility randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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