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ObjectiveWe examined whether prenatal mindfulness training was associated with lower depressive symptoms through 18‐months postpartum compared to treatment as usual (TAU).
Method
A controlled, quasi‐experimental trial compared prenatal mindfulness training (MMT) to TAU. We collected depressive symptom data at post‐intervention, 6‐, and 18‐months postpartum. Latent profile analysis identified depressive symptom profiles, and multinomial logistic regression examined whether treatment condition predicted profile.
Results
Three depressive symptom severity profiles emerged: none/minimal, mild, and moderate. Adjusting for relevant covariates, MMT participants were less likely than TAU participants to be in the moderate profile than the none/minimal profile (OR = 0.13, 95% CI = 0.03‐0.54, p = .005).
Conclusions
Prenatal mindfulness training may have benefits for depressive symptoms during the transition to parenthood.
PurposeHIV induces a pro-inflammatory response that is linked to increased morbidity and mortality. Stress and depression have been associated with elevated inflammation. We sought to test whether Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) would improve high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and D-dimer in HIV+ adults, and to explore the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between psychological state and these markers.
Methods
We randomized antiretroviral-untreated HIV+ adults with CD4+ counts >250 cells/µl to MBSR or an education/support control group. Baseline, 3, and 12 month measures included: Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ), State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS+/-). Data were censored for starting antiretroviral therapy during follow-up.
Results
Of 177 participants, 132 (71 MBSR, 61 control) had complete specimen panels and were eligible for this sub-study. MBSR did not appear to have a substantial effect on change in hsCRP or D-dimer from baseline to 3, or 12 months (p>0.10), though CIs were wide. hsCRP at baseline was positively correlated with: PSS (β=0.18, p=0.034), BDI (β=0.21, p=0.014), PHQ (β=0.15, p=0.087), PANAS+/- (β=0.17, p=0.049), and STAI (β=0.19, p=0.030). hsCRP was correlated with BMI (β=0.25, p=0.004). After controlling for BMI, age, and viral load, hsCRP remained associated with BDI (β=0.19 p=0.03) and STAI (β=0.16 p=0.065). D-dimer showed no substantial baseline correlation with any scale (β<0.1, p>0.5). No substantial longitudinal relationships were found between change in hsCRP or D-dimer and change in any psychological measure (β<0.12, p>0.2).
Conclusion
MBSR did not appear to substantially improve hsCRP or D-dimer. Correlations between hsCRP and psychological measures were in hypothesized directions. The observation that hsCRP was associated with depression in multivariate analysis suggests a causal association between these processes. Interventional studies aimed at reducing inflammation, or improving mood, are needed to clarify this association and to identify future therapeutic strategies.
What can a speech reveal about someone's state? We tested the idea that greater stress reactivity would relate to lower linguistic cognitive complexity while speaking. In Study 1, we tested whether heart rate and emotional stress reactivity to a stressful discussion would relate to lower linguistic complexity. In Studies 2 and 3, we tested whether a greater cortisol response to a standardized stressful task including a speech (Trier Social Stress Test) would be linked to speaking with less linguistic complexity during the task. We found evidence that measures of stress responsivity (emotional and physiological) and chronic stress are tied to variability in the cognitive complexity of speech. Taken together, these results provide evidence that our individual experiences of stress or "stress signatures"-how our body and mind react to stress both in the moment and over the longer term-are linked to how complex our speech under stress.
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