A pilot study of a social support intervention for perinatal women.

Participants in the intervention (Bamboo) arm will be provided with access to the Bamboo WebApp, where they will indicate whether they prefer to nominate a support person from their existing social network or request for the platform's algorithm to pair them with a volunteer support person (a community-dwelling mother). All support persons will be trained in social support provision via an online training video. The training addresses a variety of principles related to types of social support, types of coping strategies, rapport building, trust building, autonomy support, active listening, cultural sensitivity, and reinforcement of support boundaries. The training will last approximately 30 minutes. WebApp analytics will capture information on the amount of time each support person spent on the training platform. Support people will check a box to indicate that they have completed the training before progressing in the trial. Once paired, participants and their supporters will be invited to engage in interactive activities on the Bamboo WebApp. These interactive activities include support expectation and planning exercises, discussion topic prompts, and text-based dialogue opportunities. These activities will be non-compulsory, and requirements for frequency and nature of pair-based interactions will not be specified. As such, engagement with the WebApp and volume of support interactions will vary between pairs. Supporters and participants will provide details (volume; nature) of support interactions at assessment times. WebApp analytics will also capture information on engagement with the online materials. Each week, a prompt will be provided on the WebApp to encourage shared planning and support around mental/physical health and parenting. The activities will encourage positive discussions around a range of topics relating to self-care, infant care, and relationships. The WebApp's resource center (containing podcasts, articles and meditations) will be leveraged to identify key principles for healthy and adaptive parenting. These resources will be designed specifically for the trial and program. Participants will have indefinite access to the WebApp. Participants will be eligible to join the trial at any point from the start of their third trimester of pregnancy (28 weeks) through to 1-month postpartum. Pair-matching will take place immediately after allocation to the intervention group, or as soon as possible thereafter. Participation in the trial will continue until 6-months postpartum (i.e., maximum trial duration of approximately 9 months).