Using the PowerMom Digital Health Platform to Support Prenatal Mental Health and Maternal Health Outcomes: Observational Cohort Study
Abstract BackgroundMental health disorders such as anxiety and depression are common among individuals of childbearing age. Such disorders can affect pregnancy and postpartum well-being. This study aims to study the impact of prenatal mental health on the pregnancy journey and...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
JMIR Publications
2025-05-01
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| Series: | JMIR Mental Health |
| Online Access: | https://mental.jmir.org/2025/1/e70151 |
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| Summary: | Abstract
BackgroundMental health disorders such as anxiety and depression are common among individuals of childbearing age. Such disorders can affect pregnancy and postpartum well-being. This study aims to study the impact of prenatal mental health on the pregnancy journey and highlights the use of mobile health technologies such as PowerMom for symptom tracking and screening.
ObjectivesWe collected data in a decentralized digital trial using the PowerMom platform to investigate the impact of maternal mental health throughout pregnancy. The goal was to understand how anxiety and depression influence pregnancy-related symptoms, pregnancy outcomes, and postpartum well-being.
MethodsSurvey data were collected via PowerMom, a bilingual mobile research platform that integrates patient-reported outcomes, wearable data, and electronic health records. Participants were divided into 2 cohorts: those who reported receiving treatment for anxiety or depression during pregnancy (n=571) and those who reported not receiving treatment (n=1505). We compared self-reported symptoms, prepregnancy conditions, complications from past pregnancies, delivery outcomes, and postpartum mental health between cohorts, using the Fisher exact test and the Kruskal-Wallis test for statistical analysis.
ResultsParticipants receiving treatment for anxiety or depression reported higher instances of physical symptoms than those untreated, with significant differences for 13 symptoms including fatigue (80.2% vs 65.4%; adjusted PPPPPPPPPP
ConclusionsThe PowerMom platform demonstrated its value in facilitating remote, scalable data collection for maternal mental health research. Pregnant individuals reporting treatment for anxiety or depression experienced more physical symptoms and worse postpartum mental health outcomes than untreated individuals. These findings underscore the potential for mobile health technologies to support future interventional studies aimed at improving maternal mental health outcomes during pregnancy. |
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| ISSN: | 2368-7959 |