Recruiting

Virtual Forest-Based Mindfulness for Perinatal Mental Health

ClinicalTrials.gov IDNCT07606248

PhaseNA

Enrollment100

SponsorNational Taiwan University Hospital

Age18 Years

SexFEMALE

I'm interested View official listing

Conditions studied

Perinatal Anxiety, Perinatal Depression, Maternal Mental Health

About this study

Perinatal anxiety and depression are common mental health concerns that may negatively affect maternal well-being, infant development, and family functioning. Mindfulness-based interventions have shown beneficial effects on reducing psychological distress during pregnancy; however, maintaining attention and engagement during mindfulness practice may be challenging for some pregnant women. This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of an integrated virtual forest environment and mindfulness-based intervention for improving mental health in perinatal women. Pregnant women between 20 and 24 weeks of gestation will be randomly assigned to either an experimental group receiving virtual reality (VR)-based forest mindfulness intervention or a control group receiving conventional mindfulness intervention. Both groups will participate in a 9-week mindfulness program and receive app-based mindfulness practice. The experimental group will additionally receive immersive VR forest-based mindfulness sessions during prenatal visits. Outcomes including anxiety, depression, mindfulness awareness, physiological indicators, and intervention acceptability will be assessed during pregnancy and postpartum follow-up.

Interventions

Behavioral: Virtual Reality Forest Mindfulness Intervention — Participants will receive immersive virtual reality-based forest mindfulness intervention combined with mindfulness-guided practice during pregnancy.
Behavioral: Conventional Mindfulness Intervention — Participants will receive conventional mindfulness-guided intervention during pregnancy without virtual reality exposure. The intervention includes mindfulness-guided audio focusing on breathing awareness, emotional regulation, present-moment attention, and maternal-fetal connection. Participants will additionally receive a 9-week mindfulness program and app-based mindfulness practice.

Primary outcomes

Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) Score (Baseline (20-24 weeks gestation), post-intervention (32 weeks gestation to before delivery), and 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months postpartum)
Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) Score (Baseline (20-24 weeks gestation), post-intervention (32 weeks gestation to before delivery), and 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months postpartum)

Eligibility information

Inclusion Criteria: * Pregnant women aged 18 years or older * Gestational age below 25 weeks at recruitment * Able to communicate in Chinese and provide informed consent * Willing to participate in the study and complete follow-up assessments Exclusion Criteria: * Diagnosed epilepsy, photosensitive epilepsy, or other neurological disorders * Severe anxiety, depression, or other psychiatric disorders currently receiving intensive treatment * History of severe adverse reactions to virtual reality devices, including severe dizziness, nausea, or visual discomfort * Inability to participate in mindfulness or VR intervention proceduresriteria: Exclusion Criteria: \-

Study locations

National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch BioMedical Park Hospital, Hsinchu, 302058 Taiwan

Before you participate: Varda Clinical is an independent discovery tool, not the study sponsor or a medical provider. Eligibility can only be determined by the official study team. Discuss potential risks and benefits with a qualified healthcare professional.

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov. Record last refreshed by Varda Clinical: 2026-09-27.