Maternal Mindfulness: Depression and Postpartum Pain (MaMiDaPP)

August 3, 2026 updated by: Sandraluz Lara-Cinisomo, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Maternal Mindfulness to Prevent Depression and Reduce Postpartum Pain (MaMiDaPP) Intervention

This phase I clinical trial tests the feasibility and safety of a self-guided, mobile mindfulness-based intervention to reduce post-cesarean pain and prevent postpartum depression.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Postpartum pain affects approximately 92% of women and is a risk factor for postpartum depression (PPD). Cesarean delivery is associated with elevated risk for both postpartum pain and PPD, and women who experience persistent postpartum pain are at increased risk of developing depressive symptoms. PPD may contribute to withdrawal, emotional detachment, and hostility, which can negatively affect mother-infant interactions, including breastfeeding. These risks underscore the urgent need for an effective non-pharmacologic intervention to reduce post-cesarean delivery pain and prevent PPD. The objective of this study is to optimize a mobile, self-guided 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) intervention for non-depressed women at risk for PPD who have a planned cesarean delivery. The investigators will conduct a single-group open trial of women (N = 20), including Latinas (English- and Spanish-speaking), Asian, African American, and non-Hispanic White women. The study is testing two primary hypotheses: (1) the 8-week mobile MBI will demonstrate high feasibility and acceptability among a diverse sample of women, shown by meeting target recruitment, enrollment, and retention benchmarks and (2) participants will demonstrate reductions in reported pain scores and depressive symptoms from pre- to post-intervention. In addition, the study will evaluate recruitment, enrollment, dosage, safety, and retention metrics and survey participants about intervention features, facilitators, barriers, satisfaction, and recommendations.

Participants will be recruited through community partners, including the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District and the University YMCA, using flyers, partner-supported distribution of study information, and email announcements. Interested individuals will complete an online eligibility screener accessed through a QR code or URL on recruitment materials. Eligible participants will include women with an Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale score of 5-13 who have a planned singleton cesarean delivery, are within 18-45 years of age, and have no chronic pain condition. Individuals who meet initial eligibility criteria will be contacted by phone to confirm participant authenticity, then sent a REDCap link to complete electronic consent and a background questionnaire. After enrollment, participants will meet briefly with a trained research assistant to review access to the intervention platform and address any questions or concerns. Recruitment and enrollment will occur during the third trimester of pregnancy, and the intervention will begin during the first week following cesarean delivery.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

75

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Illinois
      • Champaign, Illinois, United States, 61820
        • Recruiting
        • University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 45 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

  1. Women must self-identify as Latina/Latinx/Hispanic, Asian, African American, or non-Hispanic White.
  2. Scheduled to undergo a planned cesarean delivery.
  3. Be of 18-45 years of age
  4. Have a singleton pregnancy
  5. Score between 5 and 13 on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)
  6. A history of depression
  7. Have no chronic pain condition (e.g., fibromyalgia)
  8. Own a computer, smartphone, or tablet
  9. Have a reliable internet access to complete the online surveys.
  10. Be proficient in English or Spanish.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Mindfulness
Receiving mobile, self-guided mindfulness intervention
Behavioral: Mindfulness
Meditation training to help reduce stress and reactivity to pain and other stressors.
Other Names:
  • Mindfulness meditation
No Intervention: Treatment as usual with monitoring
Receiving treatment as usual with monitoring by study PI and investigators.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Post-operative pain
Time Frame: 1 week postpartum and 8 weeks postpartum
Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS); Participant reported pain intensity (0 is equivalent to no pain and 10 indicates the worst possible pain) and pain unpleasantness (0 is equivalent to not at all unpleasant and 10 indicates the most unpleasant feeling possible)
1 week postpartum and 8 weeks postpartum

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Postpartum depression
Time Frame: 1 week postpartum and 8 weeks postpartum
Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS); participant reported depressive symptoms. Those who score above 13 are likely to be suffering from a depressive illness of varying severity.
1 week postpartum and 8 weeks postpartum

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Collaborators

University of Utah
Southern Illinois University
Arrowhead Regional Medical Center

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

December 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

March 31, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

March 31, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 27, 2022

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 27, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

June 1, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 6, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 3, 2026

Last Verified

August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • MaMiDaPP

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

IPD Plan Description

To be determined

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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