Postpartum parents experiencing challenges related to early parenthood (child regulatory problems, parental exhaustion, parental self-criticism), with a focus on improving parental wellbeing and supporting infant mental health during the first year after birth Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Conditions
Interventions
The MSP program supports parents in developing skills to manage the challenges of early parenthood.
The five-session training (each 2 hours) includes:
Session 1: Self-Compassion as a Powerful Founda
Sponsors
Ghent University
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: 1. Parent of a baby aged 1 to 9 months at the start of the training 2. Proficient in Dutch language
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: 1. Infant's age outside the 1–9 month range at the start of the training 2. Insufficient proficiency in Dutch language 3. Current severe psychopathology requiring specialized treatment
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Parental self-compassion assessed using the Self-Compassion Scale adapted to the parenting context before the program (pre-assessment), immediately after (post-assessment), 8 weeks after completion (follow-up 1), and 6 months after completion (follow-up 2). | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Measured before the program (pre-assessment), immediately after (post-assessment), 8 weeks after completion (follow-up 1), and 6 months after completion (follow-up 2) unless stated otherwise: 1. Perceived social pressure measured with the Perceived Parental Social Pressure Scale 2. Parenting perfectionism measured with the Self-Oriented Parenting Perfectionism subscale of the Multidimensional Parenting Perfectionism Questionnaire 3. Emotion regulation strategies measured with the Emotion Regulation Inventory 4. Postnatal depressive symptoms assessed with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) 5. Parental stress measured with two items referring to (a) stress in the parenting context and (b) stress related to other aspects of life 6. Parental burnout assessed with the Brief Parental Burnout Scale 7. Vitality measured with the Subjective Vitality Scale 8. Parental sense of competence measured with three items from the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale 9. Mindful parenting measured using the Interpersonal Mindfulness in Parenting Scale (IM-P), adapted to infants 10. Parental sensitive responsiveness assessed with the Parental Responsiveness Scale 11. Emotional reactions to infant crying measured with the My Emotions Questionnaire 12. Infant temperament and self-regulation assessed using the Infant Behavior Questionnaire – Revised (IBQ-R) and three additional items on sleep, feeding and crying 13. Dispositional mindfulness assessed with the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) as a predictor at T1 14. Acceptability of the program using questions like for example "Do you feel you’ve taken something of lasting value from this program?", and by adding an open question at the post-assessment 15. Acceptability of the program in detail assessed using a short evaluation scale at the end of each session | — |
Countries
Belgium
Contacts
Public ContactLumein Hillewaert
Outcome results
None listed